PLO moves to hold elections once Gaza calms down

The PLO executive committee on Thursday night approved a move to hold early elections for the Palestinian parliament and the presidency once the situation in the Gaza Strip calms down. In addition, the group's central council recommended that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to require the candidates to express their commitment to the PLO's economic pact. According to Israel Radio, this was a change that was made in order to prevent Hamas from running in the elections, since the pact entails a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which would mean recognizing Israel.