PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Photo: Twitter.

JNS.org — The Palestinian Authority (PA) has postponed municipal elections for an additional four months, after its high court ruled on Tuesday that the vote could only take place in the West Bank, and not in Gaza.

A Hamas spokesman criticized the decision, saying the ruling “divides the Palestinian people,” and that his group, a US-designated terror organization, “will consult with other factions on how to confront it,” Haaretz reported.

Nearly a month ago, the PA High Court suspended what would have been the first democratic elections between PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party and its rival, Hamas. The elections were expected to be held in October.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov, welcomed the PA’s decision, urging “all Palestinian bodies to work together in good faith to overcome internal divisions.”