Abbas says won't allow external parties to interfere in elections

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday he wouldn't allow "external parties" to interfere in the upcoming Palestinian elections. Speaking in Ramallah shortly after returning from Amman Tuesday evening, Abbas accused Israel of seeking to disrupt the elections, IRNA reported.

The report said that Abbas said the elections would be held on time on January 27. However, he didn't comment on the ongoing campaign of arrests by Israel of over 800 members and leaders of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic resistance group.