Palestinian elections scheduled for May will likely be delayed due to a dispute over Israel allowing Arab residents in east Jerusalem to vote, Maariv daily reported Tuesday.
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A top adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Sha'at, reportedly told the newspaper that the elections will likely be delayed due to Israel's failure to respond to Ramallah's request to hold elections in the Israeli capital.
Earlier this month, the Palestinian newspaper al-Quds quoted an unnamed US official as stating that the Biden administration would not object to the postponement, adding that Washington was well aware of the challenges facing Abbas.
The source told the paper that a long-running spat between Fatah, the party dominating the PA, and Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas, as well as economic plights, were also factors the administration was taking into consideration.
The US official also warned that should Hamas, which rejects Israel's legitimacy, secure prominent positions within the PA, this could damage, if not bury, the prospect of a two-state solution.
