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December 11, 2006       Share:    

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/798777.html

Abbas' Election Threat

[Ha'aretz] Danny Rubinstein - The possibility of holding new elections has been raised often recently by associates of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas as a way to get rid of the Hamas government. According to Abbas loyalists, the chairman can dissolve the government, resign himself, and then call new elections at the earliest opportunity, which is March 2007. But according to Hamas spokesmen, the chairman cannot dissolve parliament, and most Palestinian legal experts concur. In other words, Abbas can only dismiss himself, and then elections would be held only for the presidency. The idea of holding new elections is Abbas' way of threatening Hamas, on the assumption that the Hamas government is weak. But Hamas leaders are not frightened; they feel strong. The money arrives in suitcases, mainly from Iran, to pay some salaries; Hamas organized a large demonstration in Gaza this weekend that urged Haniyeh not to resign; and the Palestinian public talks about how the rest of the world is getting used to the PA's government of Islamic zealots.

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