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Mahmoud Abbas Delays Palestinian Elections
(Reuters) Nidal Al-Mughrabi - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday postponed planned parliamentary elections amid a dispute over voting in eastern Jerusalem and splits in his Fatah party. The decision came three months after he announced the first national elections for 15 years. Many Palestinians regard the Jerusalem issue as an excuse to avoid elections that a divided Fatah might well lose to Hamas. The election campaign was supposed to begin on Friday and preparations were well underway, with thousands of new voters and three dozen party lists registered. Protesters in Gaza and the West Bank called for the elections to proceed as scheduled. Abbas has ruled by decree for over a decade.