BREAKING NEWS

PA warns only West Bank vote if Hamas doesn't okay municipal elections in Gaza

The Palestinian Authority government will officially announce on Tuesday that municipal elections slated to take place in May will only be held in the West Bank, if Hamas, which dominates the Gaza Strip, does not agree to holding them in the Gaza Strip by the end of Monday, Tariq Rishmawi, a PA government spokesman, said on Monday.
The PA originally planned to hold municipal elections in September, but due to disputes between the rival Hamas and Fatah parties, the Palestinian governing body postponed them for several months.
Hamas spokesman Salah Bardaweil affirmed on Monday that his party rejects holding municipal elections before realizing reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.
Bardaweil also accused the PA of making unilateral decisions to hold elections without reaching a consensus with Hamas.