Islamic Jihad (Holy War) announced on Sunday that it will boycott the Palestinian legislative elections whenever the ballot is held.

The announcement came one day after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas decided to postpone the parliamentary elections originally scheduled on July 17.

"Jihad boycotts any elections in conformity with the interim Oslo peace agreement," said the group in a leaflet.

"We must focus on resisting the Zionist enemy who continues violating the truce that was reached by the Palestinian factions in March," it added.

It also said, "The postponement must be agreed upon by all factions, especially by those that declared to participate in the elections."

Meanwhile, prominent Jihad leader Khaled al-Batch called for an immediate national dialogue of all factions to "prevent any negative results in the streets due to the postponement."

The delay has met with fierce opposition from the Islamic Hamas, who is set to do well in the first legislative race in its history.

Senior Islamic Hamas leader in the West Bank Hassan Yousef said on Sunday that Abbas' decision to postpone the elections contradicted his pledge during an inter-Palestinian dialogue held in Egyptian capital Cairo in March. Abbas agreed upon holding the ballot on July 17 as scheduled in the talks.

Accusing Abbas of cornering Hamas, Yousef said the group insisted on a timely vote.

He said the electoral law that oversaw the 1996 parliamentary elections should be applied to the coming elections so that the ballot can proceed on time.

Abbas said on Saturday that the postponement of the elections is aimed at allowing him more time to settle disputes over a new electoral law with the parliament.

Stressing the importance of the elections, Yousef said. " Everyone knows that the elections will change the current Palestinian political reality."

He said the Palestinian people should choose a new leadership so as to end corruption and resolve administrative errors over the past few years.

Hamas, the largest Palestinian Islamic group bent on Israel's destruction, has shown a good performance in the latest municipal elections.

The group has posed a grave challenge to the long-dominant Fatah movement now led by Abbas and seen by some Palestinians as ridden with corruption.

Source: Xinhua