Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has postponed the first election in 15 years next month.

Abbas, who is in his 15th year of a 5 year term, announced on Thursday evening that he was postponing the election using a disagreement with Israel as an excuse as polls showed the Hamas terror group gaining strength.

“We decided to postpone the date of holding legislative elections until the participation of Jerusalem and its people is guaranteed,” Abbas announced on Palestinian TV.

Israel has said it would not allow Palestinian voting to take place in Jerusalem, aware that doing so would give tacit acknowledgment of Palestinian control over parts of its capital.

The general elections for the Palestinian legislature were due to take place May 22 with an election to replace Abbas as president scheduled for July 31.

Whilst Abbas blamed Israel, Hamas, the terror group that controls the Gaza Strip, condemned Abbas for canceling the vote.

“This represents a coup against the path of partnership and national consensus,” Hamas said in a statement on its website. “Our popular and national consensus cannot be pawned as collateral for the agenda of a faction.”

Hamas said it was “holding Fatah and the Authority fully responsible for this decision and its repercussions.”

 

Former UN envoy for Bulgaria Nickolay Mladenov said, “There was no legitimate reason to cancel the Palestinian election. None! Denying your own people the right to elect their leaders is dangerous, wrong and it fatally damaging to your national cause. I call for this decision to be immediately reversed in the interest of Peace.”

Why Israel? 

Free Ebook

Why Israel answers the critical questions and presents the essential reasons why Israel matters to God, to Christians and to the world. 

Become a member of CUFI and receive these mini-books and exclusive lapel-pin

Related Articles:

“Blamed if they do, blamed if they don’t” – the return of an age-old antisemitic trope

A medieval antisemitic trope has re-emerged to weaponize the narrative, twisting Israel’s humanitarian efforts in Gaza. Even feeding the hungry is now grounds to vilify Israel — and history warns us...

Before lecturing Israel, Labour should get Britain’s house in order

A British government minister's recent remarks telling Israel to “get its house in order” are not only ill-judged, they are hypocritical and reveal a deeper problem within the Labour...

WATCH: CUFI Washington Summit Recap

The Lord's timing in orchestrating CUFI's 20th annual Washington Summit was perfect.The leadership of CUFI UK were pleased to join with Christians from across the United States in...

Why do Christians support Israel?

It seems a growing number of 'Christian' influencers are jumping on the anti-Israel bandwagon. They are rejecting the truth of the Bible, spouting hatred against Israel, and twisting...

Labour pledged to ban Iran’s IRGC if in power – now it must act

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is not yet banned in the UK. Yet, in 2023, the Labour opposition pledged to proscribe the IRGC if it came to power. Now that Labour is in government—and...