The decision was announced within the West Bank town of Ramallah when a gathering of the manager committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, that oversees the Palestinian Authority. Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, is additionally chairman of the PLO.
At an equivalent meeting, Saeb Erekat, the longstanding chief Palestinian peace negotiator with Israel, submitted his resignation and Mr. Abbas accepted it. A subcommittee was shaped to appear for a successor further on think about restructuring the negotiations unit.
The Islamist Hamas faction rejected the set up for national elections, saying that Mr. Abbas had no legitimacy to require them since he was serving beyond his term. The Palestinians haven't held elections since 2006 when Hamas won a majority within the parliament, resulting in a year and a half uneasy power sharing and a quick civil war in June 2007. Since then, Hamas has ruled Gaza and therefore the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority has ruled the West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority announced postponed native elections till July, a move that Hamas additionally rejected.
Saturday's announcement on national elections said, "We decision upon all parties to line aside their reservations and disagreements. allow us to work along to carry elections and uphold the desire of the Palestinian folks. As for variations and disagreements, whether or not in political or security matters, we tend to believe that these problems may well be resolved by the approaching elected Legislative Council."
In explaining his resignation as chief peace negotiator, Mr. Erekat said that the leak to Al Jazeera tv last month of many documents -- minutes and e-mails -- from the negotiations had return from his department and he bore responsibility for the embarrassment they caused. The leaks showed Mr. Erekat and fellow negotiators creating additional far-reaching offers than were publicly known concerning yielding land to Israel in East Jerusalem and on such alternative divisive problems because the right of Palestinian refugees to come to their homes in what's these days Israel.
One member of the P.L.O. government committee who spoke on condition of anonymity said there was unhappiness with Mr. Erekat, particularly when the leaks were exposed, which was why he was leaving. nobody deserves life tenure in such employment, the member said. alternative Palestinian officers said there have been no negotiations to move and blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.
"I assume this resignation makes a degree that we do not believe Netanyahu has any intention of accepting the minimum of what had been agreed to before," said Nabil Shaath, a member of the Palestinian negotiating team, during a phonephone interview. "We desire a total finish of building settlements, together with in East Jerusalem."
In reaction to Mr. Erekat's announcement, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Fawzi Barhoum, said the resignation was proof that negotiations and peaceful efforts with Israel were a failure and therefore the Palestinian Authority ought to "cease every type of coordination with the Zionist enemy.
