Palestinian official does not rule out delay of elections

The Palestinian foreign minister Naser al-Qidwa did not rule out a postponement at the last moment to the Palestinian legislative elections which will be held on January 24th, if the Israeli government will obstruct it.

Qidawa said in a press conference in Ramullah that the Palestinian national authority proceeds in preparing for the elections "and there is no internal reason for postponing it." However, he considered the participation of east Jerusalem Palestinians is a precondition for the carrying out of the elections, according to 1996 agreement with Israel, otherwise "there will be no elections," if Israel interferes to prevent a free vote.

Meantime, the Israeli defense minister Shaoul Mofaz said on Thursday that Israel will agree to the participation of the voters of East Jerusalem, according to the formula of 1996 in Israeli ballot centers, while the Islamic resistance movement Hamas accused the Palestinian authority and Fatah movement of using the issue as a pretext to postpone the elections. Worth noting that various reports speak of Hamas doing well in such elections.

Qidwa's statement came at a time when the two American envoy Eliot Abrams and David Welsh met with the acting Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to arrange the process of the Palestinian elections.

Al-Jazeera satellite TV said that the talks of the two American envoys met with Olmert and dealt basically with the Hamas participation in the elections in light of three possibilities, which are: Hamas getting 30% of the seats of the legislative council, Hamas participation in the Palestinian government, and lastly, a Hamas overwhelming success in the elections.