The local Al-Quds newspaper quoted well-informed sources on Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority decided to postpone the elections after intense American and Arab pressure.

The sources explained that these pressures come because they believe that the election results will not be in favor of Fatah in the face of Hamas.

The United States of America informed the PA that it prefers to hold the elections after important steps that the American administration will take towards the Palestinians, including resuming aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), providing assistance to the Palestinian health system and reopening the American consulate in East Jerusalem and the office the Palestinian Liberation Organization in Washington.

The American administration believes that the results of the elections will be in the PA's favor when they take place late this year, at its discretion.

Israeli sources said yesterday that President Mahmoud Abbas assigned a member of the Fatah Central Committee, Hussein Al-Sheikh, to speak with the Qatari leadership to persuade it to put pressure on Hamas to agree to postpone the elections, due to the lack of suitable conditions in the region.