Israel is arming the PA

[nicky g]

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It's up in the air. From this article:

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The Palestinian basic law, which acts as a constitution, has no provision for calling early elections.

Fatah officials say Abbas can do so by issuing a presidential decree. Hamas says that would be illegal.


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Who knows what will happen. But it seems likely that the U.S. and Israel would favor a broader interpretation that permits an early election. If you are the sort of person who thinks that Hamas is more distasteful than Fatah, is it worth possibly circumventing democracy and the rule of law in order to do so (which seems like a horrific precedent to set), especially considering that a Fatah win is not set in stone?

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I don;t see how it's "up in the air" unless someone can show that the President specifically has the right to use a decree to call for early legislative elections. Such pro-Hamas sources as The Economist suggest that he doesn't, calling his demand an "empty threat" .