Mahmoud Abbas called for the Palestinian Authority to hold early elections.
The Palestinian Authority president, addressing PLO decision-makers Wednesday, said Hamas’ violent takeover of the Gaza Strip last month warranted bringing the 2010 ballot forward.
“We will call for early legislative and presidential elections, and we will not wait for approval from those sitting over there in Gaza,” Abbas said.
The motion is certain to be endorsed by the PLO.
Abbas did not say when the elections might be held. Hamas, which swept a parliamentary ballot last year, accuses Abbas’ Fatah faction of a coup and said it would not cooperate with the bid by Abbas to shut it out of the Palestinian Authority.
