(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - Palestinians in the West Bank are scheduled to hold local elections on Oct. 20 for 245 village councils and 98 municipalities. The last elections in 2005 saw Hamas score major victories in most West Bank cities. This year's elections, however, are being boycotted by Hamas, leaving its rival, Fatah, as the main contender. To ensure a landslide victory, the Fatah leadership, headed by Abbas, has taken a number of measures aimed at weakening its rivals, dismissing about 50 of its members who decided to run on an independent ticket and suspending funds to other PLO groups that are running against Fatah. In addition, over the past few years, Abbas' government and security forces have dismissed and arrested several elected mayors and members of municipal councils who were affiliated with Hamas. This is, in fact, one of the main reasons why Hamas decided to boycott this year's elections.
2012-10-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive