Representatives of Hamas did not attend Thursday’s meeting of the Palestinian Authority leadership in Ramallah, during which PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas announced he had decided to postpone the upcoming elections.
Mohammed Sabha, the head of a Hamas-affiliated slate, said Hamas had been invited to the PA leadership meeting but decided not to attend because it opposes the postponement of the election and did not want to give legitimacy to such a decision.
Referring to the consequences of a decision to postpone the elections that were to be held on May 22, Sabha said that such a decision would affect the reconciliation talks with the Fatah movement and would also have an impact on the ground.
"We are taking to the streets and taking steps to deal with the postponement," Sabha said in a statement, implying an intention of a confrontation with the Palestinian Authority.