Palestinians likely to delay vote

RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian Authority is close to postponing a scheduled July 17 vote for a new parliament — possibly until next spring — in the face of a strong showing by Hamas in recent local elections.

Confusion dominated a session of the parliament yesterday at which lawmakers considered alternative dates, ranging from this November to April 2006.

“I cannot say so with 100 percent certainty, but it looks like they will be delayed,” said Qadura Fares, 43, a former Cabinet minister who represents Ramallah in the parliament.

“By the next week or the week after, the final word will be out,” Mr. Fares told The Washington Times.

Ahmed Ghneim, a Fatah leader who is the deputy Palestinian Authority minister in charge of more than 200 municipal districts, including Ramallah, said he opposed a delay, but agreed that it is likely to happen.

“It will be very difficult to hit the July 17 date,” he said in a separate interview.

Fatah, the party long headed by Yasser Arafat, is the dominant bloc in the Palestinian government.

Within the clearly rattled Fatah leadership, many older members are pushing for elections next spring to give them time to prepare for a surge in support for Hamas, while Mr. Ghneim and others are hoping to compromise on a date in November.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, who favors sticking to the schedule, is traveling to Latin America and Asia.

Turmoil within the Palestinian leadership is reflected in Mr. Abbas’ decision to delay a visit to meet President Bush this month in Washington.

Talk of delaying the election is drawing a strong protest from Hamas, the militant Islamic group responsible for most suicide bombings in Israel. Hamas has halted its attacks in order to participate in democratic elections for the first time.

In a separate interview, Sheik Hasan Yousef, 50, leader of Hamas on the West Bank, said the authority was wavering in its commitment to the date and called any delay “unacceptable.”

“We can’t postpone the election. That would be a horrific setback for the democratic policy,” Sheik Yousef said.

Some members of Hamas have threatened to resume attacks against Israel if the election is not held as scheduled. However, Sheik Yousef said the threats had come from low-level members of the group and did not reflect a decision by the leadership.

“As long as Israel is not acting aggressively toward us, we are committed to the state of calm,” he said. “Our organization is united as one voice. I assure you that no such breaches will take place without a decision from the top.”

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