(VOVworld) - Palestinian local elections scheduled for May will take place in the West Bank only and not in Gaza, the government announced Tuesday, scuppering hopes of the first vote in both territories in a decade. 

Bordering fence between Eastern Jerusalem and Anata village (Source: AFP/VNA)

Spokesman for Palestinian National Authority Tarek Rishmawi said the municipal election will be held in the West Bank on May 13 and postponed in the Gaza Strip. He did not give a date for elections in Gaza. Civil organizations had attempted to find a way to hold the elections in both territories simultaneously. Hamas said the announcement reinforced the “division” between factions and “serves Fatah’s political interests.” Rishmawi, in turn, blamed Hamas for the decision.