RAMALLAH, West Bank, 20 April 2005 — Deputies from the dominant Palestinian party Fatah were meeting yesterday to discuss changing an electoral law amid conflicting reports about a possible delay to polls due to be held in July. The proposed amendment relates to the method of voting, with some MPs backing constituency voting, others favoring a proportional representation system, while a third group is keen to see a combination of both methods.
The Fatah deputies were holding their meeting ahead of a debate in the Palestinian Legislative Council today. In order to ensure proper preparation ahead of the key vote, the central elections committee (CEC) had been hoping to see the law amended three months ahead of the July 17 ballot — in other words, by April 17.
The delay has led some officials, notably from Fatah, to hint of a possible postponement of the vote — something firmly opposed by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and the radical Hamas movement, which is to participate in the elections for the first time.
“Most Fatah deputies are in favor of holding the elections on the planned date, July 17, so for that to happen, the electoral law must be adopted as quickly as possible,” Fatah deputy Ahmed Al-Dik told AFP. The mainstream Fatah party holds 62 seats in the 83-seat Parliament.
Deputy Speaker Hassan Khreisheh said Monday that the PLC was not bound by a deadline for approving the new law, and warned that if the elections were delayed, he would resign in protest.
Meanwhile, Abbas said his security services had foiled dozens of anti-Israeli attacks by militant groups. “We have thwarted dozens of attacks against Israelis and we have handed over shells, bombs and (explosive) belts to the Israelis as part of an agreement with the Americans,” Abbas told Israeli journalists at his West Bank offices. “The Israeli government should help us. We are foiling attacks while we are under occupation — just ask the army and (the internal Israeli security service) Shin Beth,” he added.
Addressing Israeli reporters at his West Bank headquarters, Abbas said in broadcast remarks that “weapons were taken from all of the fugitives” in Jericho and Tulkarm, cities Israel handed over to Palestinian control earlier this year. The rare briefing to the Israeli media followed accusations by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at a summit with US President George W. Bush last week that Abbas had failed to mount “a real fight against terrorism” under a US-backed peace “road map”.
Abbas told the journalists the Jericho and Tulkarm fugitives had been coopted into Palestinian Authority civilian and military institutions. He said other wanted gunmen in additional cities would be disarmed once Israeli forces pulled away.
But Israeli Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Abbas, who declared a cease-fire along with Sharon in February, “hasn’t done what was expected of him” under the road map that calls for the disarming and dismantling of Palestinian militant groups. “It’s possible that his definition of fugitives is a very small group of people and not all those who were active in terrorist organizations and are running around with their weapons and might use them,” Olmert told Army Radio.
In another development, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said yesterday he was willing to consider delaying the operation to uproot Gaza Strip settlers from their homes, as he tried to allay their anger. After meeting leaders of the Gush Katif settlement bloc in southern Gaza, Mofaz said he was sympathetic to calls for the evacuation to be postponed by three weeks so it does not clash with a period of Jewish mourning which ends on Aug. 14. The operation is currently scheduled to begin in late July.
