AMMAN, Jordan, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Holding early Palestinian elections may be the only way out of the crisis pitting Fatah and Hamas after failing to form a national unity government.
As fears of Palestinian infighting mounted following tit-for-tat killings in Gaza of officials affiliated with the two rival groups, early elections appear to be the "only available solution" for the prolonged Palestinian crisis, according to Jordanian analysts.
"The call made by the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization to dissolve Parliament and hold early presidential and general elections has become the only way out of the crisis," analyst Sultan Hattab told United Press International Thursday.
He said the PLO made the call in view of aborted efforts to set up a long-delayed national unity government comprising Hamas and Fatah.
"The call for early elections is logical and realistic in light of the deteriorating internal situation which is expected to worsen and escalate if President Mahmoud Abbas fails to take the decision for early polls," Hattab said.
Hamas, which controls two-thirds of Parliament seats and leads the government, has rejected the proposal for early elections, describing it a scheme for staging a coup d'état on democracy.
Hattab said Hamas' initial rejection of early elections was expected but argued that "in the end it will agree to resort to the ballot boxes because it knows very well that the alternative will be worse than the present situation."
Jamil Nimri, Jordanian political analyst and newspaper commentator, believes that early polls "will create a chance for easing internal escalation."
"After efforts to form a national unity government have failed, the Palestinian people, who lost a lot in the meantime, have to decide for themselves because they are the main victims from the ongoing situation," Nimri said.
