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PA President Mahmoud Abbas waves after a meeting in Ramallah, at which he announced that the PA legislative elections will not be held on July 17, as planned. (AP)
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| By israelinsider staff and partners May 23, 2005 |
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Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas may decide to postpone the parliamentary elections set for July 17 by several months after the Palestinian Election Commission announced Monday the poll cannot be held on time due to a lack of preparation.
Abbas' announcement comes only several days after he reaffirmed that the election would be held on the planned date.
The announcement threatened to ignite a dispute between Hamas, which has demanded the election be held on time, and the ruling Fatah party, which has expressed concern over Hamas' recent strong showing in local elections.
Hamas, which has posted strong showings in three rounds of municipal elections since December, has insisted the parliament vote be held as scheduled. Before the announcement Monday, Hamas spokesman Mohammed Ghazal accused Fatah of using logistics as a pretext to delay the vote.
But it appears that Hamas was not surprised by the PA election committee announcement, since the elections were at the center of a meeting between Hamas officials and PA Interior Minister Nasser Yousef last weekend.
In its announcement, the election commission said it would need at least two months, from the time a new election law is ratified, to prepare for the vote. The law was held up by a dispute between Abbas and parliament over how many legislators should be chosen in district elections and how many from party slates.
"The Palestinian election commission understands that the Palestinian factions are looking for a law that is suitable for all, but the commission would like to say that it needs two months, after ratifying the law, to prepare for the elections, and a new presidential decree to cancel the former one," the commission said in a statement.
The commission said it could carry out the election on time, but only based on the old law. It called on Abbas to issue a presidential decree with a new election date as soon as possible.
Abbas said he supports holding the election July 17. However, he is also holding up final approval of the new election law.
In another electoral dispute, Mustafa Buhairi, a deputy to Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, arrived in Gaza on Monday to prop up a Mideast truce, shaken by an increasingly angry dispute between Fatah and Hamas over local election results.
Hamas, which launched a barrage of rockets and mortar shells at Israeli settlements in Gaza last week, has said it might walk away from the cease-fire unless Fatah withdraws a legal challenge to results in three Gaza communities where the Islamic militants won elections earlier this month.
That dispute began after a special court, formed to settle election disputes, ordered a partial revote in three large communities -- the towns of Rafah and Beit Lahiya and the Bureij refugee camp. Hamas had won a majority in all three local councils in May 4 elections, but Fatah alleged there were voting irregularities.
A Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Sami Abu Zukhri, said the group would stick to its demand that the original results be approved. He suggested that if the group is rebuffed, it would reassess its commitments to the Egyptian-brokered truce deal.
A top Fatah official, Abdullah Franji, rejected Hamas allegations that the election courts are beholden to Fatah. He said election courts in the West Bank have ruled against Fatah in 21 separate cases.
Franji said the Egyptian delegation came to Gaza because of concern that instability in Gaza could easily spill over into Egypt. "So Egypt is trying to solve all obstacles and problems, and to overcome all the differences in Palestine," he said.
Also Monday, Israeli security officials said Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz planned to meet with the Palestinian security chief, Interior Minister Nasser Yousef, late in the day to discuss Israel's planned withdrawal from Gaza this summer and the recent flare-up of violence in Gaza.
Israeli Vice Premier Ehud Olmert reiterated Monday that the withdrawal would not be delayed beyond mid-August, even if Palestinian terrorists fire on troops and settlers during the pullout. "In any circumstance, under all conditions, disengagement will take place," Olmert told Israel Radio.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Sunday that the forced evacuation of Gaza settlers would begin Aug. 16 or Aug. 17.
In another internal Palestinian dispute, the Islamic Jihad terrorist group accused Abbas of violating the truce understandings when it arrested 14 suspected terrorists, including 12 from Islamic Jihad, more than three weeks ago. The group is held in a prison in the West Bank town of Jericho on suspicion they were involved in plotting attacks against Israel.
Islamic Jihad claimed the detainees were being held without charges, in violation of assurances Abbas gave them during the truce talks. Earlier this week, the detainees began a hunger strike.
The AP contributed to this report.
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