Yesterday afternoon, Dr. Hanna Nasser, chairman of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission, announced that the elections scheduled for January 24th would be postponed since Hamas has stated that they will not let Palestinians in the Gaza Strip vote.
President Mahmoud Abbas announced last week that he would not run for reelection in January, despite lack of a suitable replacement.
Ma’ariv reports:
Palestinian sources predict that Abu Mazen now has two choices. The first is to declare Gaza a province in rebellion, and to hold elections only in the West Bank. The chances of this are low, and Abu Mazen himself has said in the past that he would not hold elections without Gaza. The second option is to postpone elections until a reconciliation agreement is reached, and to stay at his current post until that happens.
World leaders have been lobbying Abbas not to resign. Following Nasser’s announcement, political sources believe Abbas will maintain his position until elections are rescheduled, making him a viable partner for peace talks again.
The Jerusalem Post reports:
French President Nicolas Sarkozy phoned Abbas on Thursday to discuss conditions for the renewal of the diplomatic process. And while it is understood that the US does not anticipate substantive negotiations resuming in the next two weeks, there is renewed optimism that the path to new talks can be cleared.
…Sarkozy, who met with Netanyahu on Wednesday, “underscored the urgency of restarting the Middle East peace process and discussed, in light of his recent international contacts, the conditions that would allow a rapid resumption of negotiations,” the Elysee said.