The Carter Center said that the ongoing rift between Hamas and Fatah is depriving residents of the right to vote
(AP) -- The nonprofit group headed by former President Jimmy Carter is pushing the rival Palestinian factions to hold free elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The Carter Center said Tuesday that the ongoing rift between Hamas and Fatah is depriving residents of the right to vote.
The bitter divide between the rivals has made it all but impossible to hold elections, and Egyptian-mediated talks have so far failed to resolve them.
The center called for Palestinian leaders to resist the urge to hold partial elections, contending it would "reinforce the rift" amid the Palestinian people. The center has observed all Palestinian elections since 1996.
(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWFXL