Abbas Calls For Palestinian Elections

(CBS/AP)  Gone was the evenhanded tone, the hesitation. In calling for early elections, a transformed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was emotional, sarcastic, even cracked jokes about his political rivals, the Islamic militant Hamas. Without notes, he delivered perhaps the most important speech of his career.

Abbas kept his decision — elections at the earliest possible date — even from his closest aides. He had widely been expected to raise the possibility of an early vote, but be far less decisive.

CBS News correspondent Joie Chen reports that Abbas said to a cheering crowd, "Let us return to the people. Let them be the judge."

When he made the announcement, many in the auditorium at his headquarters leapt to their feet and clapped, relieved that months of indecision were finally over.

Pushing for elections is a gamble by Abbas that Palestinians will back him as he seeks to weaken the Islamic militants, avoid civil war and keep momentum for peace overtures with Israel.

Hamas accused Abbas of trying to topple its government, promised to block the elections and urged supporters to take to the streets. "This is a real coup," said Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas hard-liner.

Later Saturday, in Gaza, thousands of Hamas supporters marched in protest and 18 Palestinians were wounded in clashes between the two political camps.

Hamas' landslide election in January parliamentary elections split the Palestinian leadership into two camps. One, led by Abbas, seeks peace with Israel; the other, led by Islamic Hamas militants, is sworn to the Jewish state's destruction. The infighting has often degenerated into convulsions of violence, and this week, tensions reached their highest peak in years.

Abbas tried to end the power struggle by bringing Hamas into a more moderate coalition with his Fatah Party, but the Islamic group refused to pay the price he demanded — recognizing Israel and renouncing violence.

"We have a crisis. We have an authority with two heads. So what do we do? Bullets or ballots?" asked Saeb Erekat, an aide to Abbas. "Abu Mazen said ballots," he said, using Abbas' nickname.

Across the West Bank and Gaza, streets were largely deserted as everyone watched Abbas' 90-minute address, peppered with criticism of Hamas.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged the international community to support Abbas, while State Department spokesman Edgar Vasquez said it was "an issue for the Palestinian people to decide through a peaceful political process." Russia asked the Palestinians to try to maintain unity.

Abbas said a unity government was still the best option, but that he had despaired of persuading Hamas to enter into a coalition with Fatah. The Hamas government has drawn crushing international sanctions over its militantly anti-Israel stand, but has refused to recognize Israel, the West's condition for resuming aid.

"I ... decided to call for early presidential and parliament elections," Abbas said from his West Bank headquarters, after outlining months of failed coalition talks. "Let us return to the people, to hear their word, and let them be the judge."

His aides said they expected the vote to be held by the summer. In coming days, Abbas is to meet with the Central Election Commission to hear how much time it will need to prepare. Once he issues a formal decree calling for elections, the balloting must take place within three months.

In an immediate step toward parliamentary and presidential elections, Abbas announced he has appointed new Fatah leaders. Fatah officials said the party's younger leaders, who had long clamored for a role in decision-making, would now be given a chance. Fatah's old guard had refused to step aside, a key reason the movement remained in disarray after its election defeat.

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[titocordero]

Grazinggoat

You see I did not even comment on what you had to say about David Padilla which by the way is the guys name you're talking about. I grew up in the same streets this guy grew up in in Chicago. Believe it or not we have mutual acquaintances. This guy is not even a real Muslim. What he is is a real idiot who just happen to get caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. Everything about this guys life was messed up. It'no secret that the U.S. knows this guys no terrorist. They're just trying to make an example out of him but it does not justify him being treated the way that he is by our government.

[ronniehm]

Looks like the CIVIL WAR in palestine is in full swing. It's a CIVIL WAR, you know. Just because NBC hasn't officially designated it as a CIVIL WAR doesn't mean it's not a CIVIL WAR. It's probably more of a CIVIL WAR than the CIVIL WAR in iraq, because in this CIVIL WAR they're actually fighting for control. That other CIVIL WAR is just a bunch of people who hate each other. So we have muslims killing muslims in iraq, muslims killing muslims in palestine, muslims killing muslims in afghanistan. I can live with 4 more years of that. Bush in '08. .... OK, fine. Put his mom's name on the ballot.

[ronniehm]

I see. So around 690AD, when the land was CONQUERED by muslims and the Temple of David was DESTROYED so the islamic Dome of the Rock could be built, the jews living there were just part of the early occupation. Uh huh.

[Free Citizen]

Wrong. The Jews may have settled there 2000 years ago. But they left or they were exiled according to their Torah. There is a law in every country where if the occupant of a property vacates that property after a number of years, the rights of that occupant to the property will cease to be. 2000 years is a long time. Civilisations have come and gone during such a vast period of time. The Palestinians were settlers there before the European zionist arrived after the last world war. In fact the Palestinians have been there since the Jews left. The Palestinians were driven from their homes and their homes bulldozed for new Israeli settlements. That is wrong in anyone's book. That is called illegal occupation. And that is what the Palestinians have been fighting since the "creation" of Israel. The right of return.

[ronniehm]

Jews were living there in 2000BC. Islam wasn't even a religion until around 600-700AD. Whose land is it again?

[Free Citizen]

Presidential and parliament elections? What parliament elections? Didn't they just had one in which Hamas won with a landslide? I thought the two institutions were separate. The President would have not right to call for any elections other than his own. Who would believe this Abbas who have decided to switch camp and become a stooge of Israel? Where is that Abu Mazen who directed the Munich massacre? Isn't it true that he took over the leadership through being handpicked by Arafat who got tired of zionist lies?

To call for general elections after the punishing boycott by traditional donors is indeed a low blow by Abu. Time will tell if the Palestinians have strong resolve to stand for their rights. And what does this statement means? "Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he was willing to give up large parts of the West Bank in a peace deal, and that he was ready to talk peace." What right does Olmert have to make such concession? All of West Bank is not theirs to dictate terms. The rightful thing is for them to withdraw totally from the occupied lands without any conditions. In fact they should have done that long ago.

[ronniehm]

Aww, just 4 minutes before the "test". How shocking.

[grazinggoat]

got to go see my gal... leave you alone get instructed... and come back teach us... my friend HeMaRonnie

[ronniehm]

If you can spell it, go with it.

[grazinggoat]

And don't laught at it