Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman reportedly told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a recent meeting that until Israel installs a new government, he will not get an answer regarding permission for residents of east Jerusalem to vote in the May 22 Palestinian elections. Abbas declared in January that the Palestinians would hold a parliamentary vote that has been postponed repeatedly since its 2010 by disputes between Fatah and Hamas.
Argaman need not have bothered to try to dissuade Abbas, who should have known the type of trouble he was courting by holding the vote. “He was certain the elections would enable the Palestinian Authority to return to the Gaza Strip or at least grant it a foothold there,” a senior Israeli security source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “Instead, by declaring elections Abbas is about to provide Hamas with a foothold in the West Bank.”
