Palestinian court puts off decision on date of municipal elections

The Palestinian Authority's Supreme Court on Wednesday delayed its decision on the date of municipal elections in Palestinian-ruled West Bank towns and cities, announcing that it will convene again on October 3 to discuss the issue. DEBKAfile's sources report that Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu Mazen is trying to avoid holding the elections after foreign friends made it clear to him that his Fatah party would lose to Hamas in the main cities of Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem, Hebron and Qalqilya. The elections were originally scheduled to be held on October 8.