Awwal 14, 1432 H/Feb 17, 2011, SPA -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that elections won't be held by September as planned if the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers won't allow balloting there, according to dpa. Abbas' West Bank-based government called the long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections over the weekend, but Hamas has said Gaza would not take part, according to AP. «Unless we are capable of holding elections in both the West Bank and Gaza, then we will not hold elections,» Abbas told reporters in Ramallah on Thursday. Abbas governs the West Bank but lost control of Gaza to the Islamic Hamas in a violent 2007 takeover. Several attempts to reconcile the two factions have failed. Abbas aides said the Palestinian president had not backed down on his commitment to the vote. Senior adviser Yasser Abed Rabbo said that if necessary, the Palestinian Authority would find a «creative» way to circumvent any Hamas opposition so Gazans would be able to take part. Measures being explored include voting by Internet, Palestinian officials have said. -- SPA
