Palestinians postpone planned primaries
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-19 10:26

The ruling Palestinian party, Fatah, failed to hold scheduled primaries Friday, blaming infighting and extortion attempts by militants.

While the delay was not expected to affect the timing of parliamentary elections Jan. 25, it could further alienate a young guard hoping to bring new blood into the party. Fatah was trying to unite to face the strong challenge of the Islamic Hamas group at the polls.

Ahmed Diek, coordinator of the Fatah elections committee, said the 11 voting districts in the West Bank and five in the Gaza Strip still have until Nov. 25 to hold primaries. Party bosses will appoint candidates for districts that do not hold primaries by then, he said.

Fatah legislator Qadoura Fares, a member of the young guard, said he fears Fatah leaders, representing the older generation, might try to keep out newcomers and thus force them to run as independents.

The primaries were postponed in part because armed Fatah groups were threatening to disrupt the polls unless they were paid off with plum civil service jobs, Diek said.

"Some of them are trying to blackmail the Fatah leadership, demanding Palestinian Authority jobs in return for allowing elections to be held," he said. "Others have reservations about the way Fatah is organizing elections."

Diek said 465 candidates had registered in the West Bank, to run for the territory's 80 parliamentary seats. Registration continued in Gaza.

The town of Jericho will hold its primaries Monday, he said, while other West Bank districts are expected to vote on Nov. 25, Diek said. He said political problems and lawlessness were expected to prevent the West Bank towns of Qalqiliya and Tulkarem and the Gaza districts from meeting the deadline.

In violence Friday, a Palestinian man was shot and killed when Israeli troops saw him holding a "suspicious object" after an explosion went off near the troops in village of Beit Kakhil, military officials said on condition of anonymity since they were not allowed to discuss the incident with the press.

Palestinian security and rescue officials did not immediately comment on the shooting.

Near the West Bank city of Ramallah, Israeli soldiers shot and slightly wounded a Palestinian teenager as he held a cap gun, the army and Palestinians said. The soldiers had been told shooting was heard near the village of Sawad and saw the teen holding what they thought was a real gun, the army said.

After shooting the teenager, the soldiers realized he was holding a cap gun and he was evacuated to an Israeli hospital. The army did not give the teen's age but Palestinian residents said he was 14.

Israeli troops earlier this month shot and killed a 12-year-old Palestinian boy who was holding a toy gun in the West Bank town of Jenin.