The Palestinian Authority will cancel January 25th parliamentary elections if Israel goes ahead with its plan to bar Palestinians from voting in disputed Jerusalem, a senior Palestinian official said today.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has been under pressure from his Fatah Party to postpone the vote, amid concerns about the growing political clout of the Islamic militant group Hamas.
But Palestinian officials denied Mr Abbas was using Israel's threat as a pretext to call off the vote.
Mr Abbas said he hasn't decided yet whether to delay the vote. In the past, Abbas has insisted the vote will take place as scheduled, but today hinted for the first time it might not.
"This is a big responsibility that must be studied carefully," Mr Abbas said. In the Gaza Strip, Palestinian gunmen abducted a Dutch school principal and his Australian deputy as they drove to work at a private American school north of Gaza City.
The hostages were freed several hours later, just as a radical PLO faction claimed responsibility and demanded the release of their jailed leader. It was not clear what deal, if any, was struck with the kidnappers. Abductions in Gaza tend to be bloodless and brief.
In Israel, two senior government officials said today that Israel would not let Palestinians vote in Jerusalem because it objects to Hamas' participation in the race.
Hamas, which is committed to Israel's destruction, is running for the first time in parliamentary elections, and poses a strong challenge to Mr Abbas, a moderate. "There will be no voting in sovereign Jerusalem," one official said.
"Our role is not to help Hamas get elected - certainly not in sovereign Jerusalem."
Mr Sharon aide Raanan Gissin said no final decision has been made. He said allowing Palestinians to vote in Jerusalem post offices for parliamentary elections in 1996 and again this year, when Abbas was elected to succeed Yasser Arafat, were exceptions to the rule banning Palestinian political activity in Jerusalem.
AP