The Islamic militant group Hamas has rejected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ decision to cancel the first elections in 15 years, calling it a “coup” with no popular support.
In his announcement early Friday, Mr. Abbas cited a dispute with Israel over voting in east Jerusalem , but delaying the elections will likely spare his divided Fatah party another embarrassing defeat.
Hamas, which had been expected to perform well in the May 22 elections, had earlier said that voting in east Jerusalem should take place without Israel’s permission. It slammed the decision to delay the vote in a brief statement issued early Friday.
