Palestinian Authorities Call for Elections

Seemingly in response to the revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, Palestinian leaders announced Saturday that they planned to hold presidential and parliamentary elections by September, after a meeting with the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization. The Islamist Hamas faction rejected the plan for national elections, which have not been held since 2006, when Hamas won a majority in parliament and has since governed Gaza while the Palestinian Authority controlled the West Bank. A Hamas spokesman pointed to the resignation of Palestine’s chief negotiator with Israel over leaked documents, saying it was proof that negotiations and peaceful efforts with Israel were a failure, and adding that the Palestinian Authority should “cease all types of coordination with the Zionist enemy.”