GAZA, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Hamas movement called for postponement of convening Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) parliament scheduled on April 30 in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

A joint statement was released by Hamas, as well as the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, to urge the postponement of the meeting, which aims at electing new PLO leadership.

The statement noted that the convening of the parliament, or the Palestinian National Council, has to be a united one and should be held abroad, in accordance with agreement reached in Beirut, Lebanon in January 2017.

The decision to convene the parliament is made last month by the PLO executive committee, which is chaired by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Hamas and the Islamic Jihad will not be included in the meeting because they are not members in the PLO executive committee, said a committee member.

The joint statement also called for investing in the outcomes of the current six-week long rallies in the Gaza Strip, and use it to help implement the internal reconciliation agreements and understandings.

The statement stressed that the Palestinian efforts must be unified to confront challenges including policies of the U.S. President Donald Trump.