Abbas is advised to cancel January vote

Abbas is advised to cancel January vote
By Charles Levinson, Wall Street Journal, November 13, 2009

Palestinian election officials said they can’t hold planned elections in January, which could give President Mahmoud Abbas a way to stay in office despite his threat to stand down — but could further roil Palestinian and Israeli politics.

Mr. Abbas’s threat, and a wider breakdown of U.S.-led peace efforts, are beginning to take a toll in the Palestinian territories and on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Israel. The premier has begun to come under fire for not making headway toward peace, including from within the Israeli leader’s ruling coalition, .

Speaking at a televised news conference in Ramallah, Palestinian election officials said Hamas’s opposition to polling is the main obstacle. Hamas has rejected holding new elections until reaching a long-stalled reconciliation accord with Mr. Abbas’s Fatah Party. [continued...]

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