Palestinian president decides — on his own — to postpone elections

While he appears to have received the support of the majority of an unelected group of Palestinians that are referred to as the leadership, it seems 86-year-old Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has unilaterally decided to postpone elections. Abbas said the night of April 29 that the vote was postponed because of Israel’s refusal to allow residents of East Jerusalem to participate, but most of those who were running for the May 22 legislative elections he had called for in a January set of presidential decrees want to have elections. 

While Abbas blamed Israel and the international community for the postponement, this decision will be a black mark on his legacy.