This cartoon was originally posted in April 2005.
From FoxNews: Abbas Warns of Possible Election Delay.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said Monday he will delay Jan. 25 parliamentary elections if Israel bars Jerusalem Arabs from voting, the first time he has indicated he would postpone the balloting.Posted by Forkum at January 2, 2006 10:24 PMSenior members of the ruling Fatah party had urged Abbas to delay the elections, reflecting growing fears that the Islamic group Hamas will deal the movement a stinging blow in the polls. ...
Israeli officials say no decision has been made about whether to allow Jerusalem's 200,000 Palestinians take part in the election.
In the past, they voted in a virtual absentee ballot system, because Israel says interim peace accords ban such political activity in Jerusalem.
A new factor is the participation of Hamas for the first time. Israel objects, noting Hamas responsibility for dozens of deadly suicide bombings and its charter calling for Israel's destruction.
Israeli officials say they oppose allowing voting in Jerusalem, which would appear as a step to legitimize Hamas. However, they also don't want to be blamed for sabotaging the election and are looking for a compromise.
Talk of a delay come amid a rash of chaos in the Gaza Strip, including a brief armed takeover of several government buildings Monday. The violence has threatened to weaken Abbas and benefit Hamas, which is running on a campaign pledging clean government and law and order. Abbas is on a tour of Gulf Arab countries. ...
In new violence, about 200 Palestinian police, shooting into the air, briefly took over several government buildings Monday in Gaza to protest the Palestinian Authority's failure to impose law and order.
Police have been powerless to halt the violence that has gripped Gaza since Israel withdrew from the area in September. Last week, an officer was killed in a shootout between two rival families.
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