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Hamas rallies opposition to Abbas after elections pushed back

After he postponed the Palestinian legislation elections scheduled for May 22, political opponents are considering ways to oust Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images
Palestinian Hamas supporters take to the streets in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip April 30, 2021, following the postponement of the upcoming Palestinian elections that were supposed to take place next month. — MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' April 29 postponement of the legislative elections scheduled for May 22 came as a shock to Palestinians. Several Palestinian factions condemned Abbas for making his unilateral decision without consulting with them.

Al-Monitor's sources say that the Palestinian factions are considering their options to respond to Abbas’ decision. A number of them — including the Hamas movement, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the two Fatah lists led by imprisoned leader Marwan Barghouti and dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan, as well as the independents — had boycotted the Palestinian presidential meeting in Ramallah on April 29 at which Abbas made the announcement.

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