Abbas set to postpone elections

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is preparing to formally delay January's presidential and parliamentary elections, a party official said.

Abbas decided to cancel the vote after the Palestinian Central Elections Committee said it could not prepare for elections in Gaza because of Hamas' decision to bar voting in the Strip, The Jerusalem Post reported Monday.

"The president has reached the conclusion that it's impossible to hold elections without the Gaza Strip," the official told the Post. "We're also not sure that Israel would allow Palestinians in Jerusalem to participate in the elections."

The official in Ramallah, West Bank, said Abbas wasn't planning on scheduling a new election date when he announces the postponement of the Jan. 24 polling.

"It's premature to decide on a new date," he said. "A lot depends on whether the Egyptians and other Arab parties succeed in achieving reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah."