BETHLEHEM, February 28, 2017 (WAFA) – The Palestinian cabinet decided Tuesday to hold municipal elections on May 13 only in the West Bank with the exclusion of the Gaza Strip, which the cabinet said it will not be possible to hold there at the scheduled date.

“The cabinet decided to hold elections for local councils in the West Bank on Saturday, May 13, 2017 as per the decision taken on January 31, 2017,” said the cabinet in a statement at the conclusion of its weekly meeting held in Bethlehem.

“This decision was made based on the letter by the commissioner of the Central Election Commission (CEC) to the Prime Minister which pointed to the difficulty of holding elections in the Gaza Strip following a meeting for the CEC with Hamas and the failure of efforts by the CEC and Palestinian factions to persuade Hamas to participate in the democratic process, which our people deserves,” said the statement.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip since 2007, said it will not participate in the elections after they were cancelled the previous time following a court ruling.

Municipal elections were first planned for October 8, 2016 when a court cancelled them following objections against function of Gaza courts on election issues. Hamas was planning to take part in the elections then.

The cabinet expressed regret that Hamas would not allow people in Gaza to elect their representatives to the local councils, but said efforts will continue to get Hamas to change its position.

“We hope the local elections will lead to an agreement on general political elections, including presidential and legislative elections as well as elections for the national council that will open the door for efforts to end division and bring unity,” it said.

M.K.