|
Trending Topics
|
Irish Deputy Prime Minister Tells Abbas: Elections Must Be Held Soon
(Irish Times) Conor Gallagher - Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin "made it clear" to PA President Mahmoud Abbas that elections should be held soon in the Palestinian territories, during a meeting in Ramallah on Wednesday. "The last democratic elections within Palestinian territory was 2006. That means people in their early 30s have not voted for their representatives for the Palestinian Authority. That is not good and not acceptable," Martin said. Regarding Hamas, the de facto government in Gaza, Martin said it must completely give up violence before Ireland and the EU will engage with it. It is Irish and EU policy not to deal directly with Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization.