CAIRO - Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas insisted in remarks published Friday that legislative elections would be held in July as planned despite calls even from his own colleagues for a delay.
In an interview with the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Abbas "denied any plans to delay the elections which will go ahead on the scheduled date of July 17."
Abbas aide Tayeb Abdelrahim was quoted Thursday as saying there were "good, logical, judicial and political reasons," to delay the vote - which would be the first legislative ballot in the Palestinian territories in nine years.
However, the fundamentalist Islamic movement Hamas, which is contesting the polls for the first time and is the main challenger to Abbas's dominant Fatah faction, has rejected any delay.
Abbas also chastised Israel over comments by Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom that its planned pullout from Gaza starting in August should be halted if Hamas wins the election, warning that its stance could risk a fragile truce
"Israel is calling for democracy when such comments are contrary to democracy," Abbas said. "Hamas is naturally evolving into a political party and will run in the elections and take part in government."
Hamas, which has been behind many of the attacks against Israel during the intifada or Palestinian uprising that was unleashed in September 2000, and other militant groups have been observing a informal ceasefire since January.
"Since we succeeded in convincing them about the need for a truce, isn't that better than to enter into a war that nobody wants, a civil war we refused to be dragged into.
"If they (the Israelis) want us to become embroiled in a civil war, that would sabotage the entire peace process, not only the Palestinian track."
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