Palestinian Authority to hold elections, official says

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Saturday for elections before September, but rival Islamist group Hamas quickly rejected the move, underscoring a crippling division among Palestinians.                                            

"The Palestinian leadership decided to hold presidential and legislative elections before September," senior Abbas aide Yasser Abed Rabbo told reporters.                                            

"It urges all the sides to put their differences aside," he said, referring to a bitter rivalry between Abbas's West Bank-based government and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.                                            

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the Western-backed Abbas, who has served as president since 2005, lacks the legitimacy to make such a call.                                            

"Hamas will not take part in this election. We will not give it legitimacy. And we will not recognise the results," Barhoum said.                                            

Previous ballots were cancelled with the groups unable to reach a reconciliation deal.                                            

Abbed Rabbo said the rivals would be able to resolve their differences in a new legislative council to be formed after the presidential and parliamentary elections.                                            

Hamas won the last parliamentary election in 2006 and a year later routed Abbas's forces to seize control of the Gaza Strip.                                            

Hamas's opposition to Abbas's peace moves with Israel is one of the issues keeping the factions apart.                                            

US-sponsored peace negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli teams have faltered since being relaunched last year. 

Abed Rabbo said that Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator in the recent round of talks, has tendered his resignation, but Abbas has yet to accept it.