Israel seeks to cancel Palestinian polls: Fatah member

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Israel has piled pressure on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to cancel this year’s elections, a Fatah leader said Monday.

"Israel tried to pressure us and prevent the legislative and presidential polls under flimsy arguments that only serve the interests of Israel," Hussein al-Sheikh, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, told the local Alam Palestine radio.

He said the head of Israel’s internal security service Shin Bet, Nadav Argaman, also requested cancelling the polls.

"We will move forward [with the polls] at any cost,” al-Sheikh said. “This is our decision and our choice, which is only decided by the Palestinian leadership, not anyone else.”

There was no comment from Israel on the report.

On Friday, Israeli Channel 13 reported that Argaman met Abbas last week and conveyed a strong Israeli warning to him about three issues.

These issues are the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to push an investigation against Israel at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the intention of Fatah group to run on a joint list with Hamas in the Palestinian legislative elections and an agreement to form a unity government between Fatah and Hamas.

According to the Israeli channel, an American delegate has secretly arrived at the Palestinian Presidency and conveyed similar warnings.

Palestinians are set to elect a new legislature on May 22 and a president on July 31 after a gap of 15 years.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara