Abbas calls Palestinian elections on January 24

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas announced on Friday that presidential and legislative elections will be held on January 24 in the Palestinian territories including the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, his office said in a statement.

Abbas "invited the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to take part in free and direct presidential and legislative elections on Sunday January 24, 2010" the statement said.

Abbas, whose presidential term expired in early 2009, had said on Tuesday he would issue a decree calling the elections, in a move apparently meant to press Hamas into signing a much-delayed unity deal with his Fatah faction.

Egypt has been struggling to broker a reconciliation agreement between the two main Palestinian factions for months, and this month proposed an agreement that would see new elections held in June next year.

Fatah has signed the agreement while Hamas has repeatedly postponed its official response, saying that it needs more time to mull the deal.

The bitter divisions between Fatah and Hamas go back to the start of limited Palestinian self-rule in the 1990s, when Fatah strongmen cracked down on the Islamist militant group.

An official close to Abbas said there was still time to avoid an open clash that would wreck efforts to patch up the split between the factions.

"If we reach an agreement, the election date can be rescheduled," he said.

Hamas has the power to prevent a credible election taking place on its territory, home to 1.5 million Palestinians. A vote without the full participation of Gaza could effectively create two rival Palestinian powers in separate territories.

About 2.5 million Palestinians live in the West Bank.

If we reach an agreement, the election date can be rescheduled

Official