Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas issued a decree on Wednesday that effectively excludes the rival Hamas movement ruling Gaza from future elections, further widening the gaping Palestinian divide. Abbas's office, however, denied that it had published a decree that made changes to the current Palestinian electoral law.| "No, no! Certainly not! Maybe some other government?" |
The Western-shunned Hamas does not respect the political programme of the PLO, which recognises Israel, as the Islamists' charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. Abbas's decree also says that all parliament candidates will be chosen according to party lists. Previously, half of those standing for the legislature were chosen in single constituencies. He has also vowed to call early general elections.
On Wednesday he repeated his demand for "Hamas to correct their mistakes and change their positions to reunite the Palestinian people and give them hope for the future". Abbas insisted on the "unity of the Palestinian territories, as this division cannot be but temporary. The Palestinian people reject this division and want a unified state."
But Hamas quickly lashed out at Abbas, saying the changes to the electoral law were illegal. "The Palestinian president has no right to make changes to Palestinian law. Only parliament can do so," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said. "We are not concerned by this move as it goes against the law," he said. "There is no chance that elections can be successful if Hamas rejects them. What we must do first is return to dialogue and national agreement."