PA elections to exclude Gaza Strip

The Palestinian Authority government will officially announce on Tuesday that municipal elections slated to take place in May will only be held in the West Bank if Hamas does not agree to hold them in the Gaza Strip by the end of Monday, PA government spokesman Tariq Rishmawi said on Monday.

The PA originally planned to hold municipal elections in September, but due to disputes between rival parties Hamas and Fatah, the Palestinian governing body postponed them for several months. Hamas spokesman Salah Bardaweil affirmed on Monday that his party rejects holding municipal elections before a Hamas-Fatah reconciliation. • Adam Rasgon