Palestinian prime minister confirms he won't run in elections
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-24 17:14

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia on Saturday confirmed he will not run in upcoming parliamentary elections, citing an Israeli threat to ban voting in east Jerusalem.

Qureia also said he thinks the January 25 elections should be postponed altogether because of the Jerusalem issue.

"It is the main issue. We must not go to elections without Jerusalem," he told a news conference.

Control of Jerusalem is one of the central disputes in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians claim predominantly Arab east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. Israel, which captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, says the entire city is its eternal capital. Qureia lives on the outskirts of east Jerusalem.

Israel has allowed east Jerusalem Arabs to participate in past Palestinian elections. But it is threatening to ban voting in the parliamentary election if the Palestinian Authority does not prevent the Islamic group Hamas from running.

Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and remains committed to Israel's destruction, appears poised to make a strong showing in the election.

Qureia said his decision not to run wasn't related to infighting within the ruling Fatah Party between party veterans and its disgruntled "young guard," which formed a breakaway faction last week and presented a separate list of candidates.

Eager to bring the young guard back, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is seeking to redraw the party's list of candidates, giving top positions to younger activists. The move has upset party veterans, including Qureia, who will now have to compete in district voting where re-election isn't guaranteed.

Party officials have said Qureia, who was placed near the top of Fatah's original list of candidates, would have a difficult time winning his local district. Although Qureia does not plan to run for a parliamentary spot, he is widely expected to be appointed to a top ministerial position in the next government.

While the deadline has passed for parties to submit their candidate lists, a Palestinian court is expected to issue a ruling in the next day or two that would reopen the registration process and clear the way for Fatah to unify its list of candidates.