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.”
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