Jerusalem – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that if he is unable to carry out his peace program after the Jan. 25 legislative elections, he will resign.
Abbas defended the inclusion in the election of the radical Islamic Hamas faction, which refuses to give up its armed wing.
Hamas is expected to do well, and even if it does not win a majority, it could make it much more difficult for Abbas and Israel to discuss peace or even to coordinate policies.
“If I feel that I cannot fulfill this program,” Abbas told reporters in Ramallah, on the West Bank, “then this seat is not my ultimate ambition.”
Hamas leaders refuse to accept the 1993 Oslo accords that set up the Palestinian Authority and are committed to the long-term elimination of Israel and the creation of a single state of Palestine.
Abbas predicted the vote will be held “in a democratic and honest fashion” and said that the many members of the security forces will be able to vote 48 hours in advance so that they can protect the ballot boxes.
There are fears that elements of Fatah will disrupt the voting to try to void the election and prevent Hamas from gaining a share of power, but Fatah and Hamas have agreed to ban the carrying of weapons on polling day.
Abbas also accused Israel of putting obstacles in the way on the day of the vote, with its checkpoints and other security restrictions on freedom of movement in the West Bank.
Israel also has prevented some candidates – not just Hamas – from campaigning in East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed. An East Jerusalem news conference devoted to the elections was canceled Wednesday when Israeli police arrested everyone who was scheduled to speak.
Abbas welcomed comments from the acting Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, who said Tuesday that if elected himself, he would enter final-status negotiations with Abbas if the Palestinians dismantle militant and terrorist groups as required under the U.S.-backed peace “road map.”