(Jerusalem Post) Ben Lynfield - On Thursday, after a Hamas court in Gaza canceled nine lists of Fatah candidates for the upcoming Palestinian municipal elections, the high court in Fatah-controlled Ramallah froze the holding of elections, at least until December. The collapse of the electoral process is a reflection of Hamas' and Fatah's fears of losing, according to Talal Awkal, Gaza-based columnist for Al-Ayyam. "Neither side really wanted these elections to go ahead. Hamas was afraid it would fail in Gaza, and that this would be a real challenge to its legitimacy....If you ask any citizen in Gaza, he would say Fatah has a better chance than Hamas to succeed" in the elections. "Fatah was also afraid of losing in the West Bank. Both are to blame for the elections not taking place."
2016-09-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive