Abbas pulls out of January elections

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told political allies he will not run in January elections.

Abbas announced his decision after reviewing a grim situation due to the suspension of peace talks with Israel and the failure to reconcile with other Palestinian factions, mainly the Gaza- ruling Hamas movement.

Despite Abbas' decision, the White House vowed to continue cooperating with the Palestinian leader.

Wednesday, Abbas informed allies from his Fatah Party he would not run in the elections, and Thursday, he delivered the same message to the decision-making body of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President, said, "Such a decision is not to blackmail anybody and is not a tactic and I appreciate the position of both the leadership in the executive committee and the central Fatah committee but I hope they will understand my position. I will be taking other steps in the near future."

Abbas' announcement drew shock and disbelief from some Palestinians.

Maher Kanawati, Bethlehem Resident, said, "I think this is a big loss for the Palestinian people and we hope and pray he changes his mind because we need him to be leading us. Since he started he has changed the image of the Palestinian people worldwide."

Many believe the announcement reflects the failure of the efforts for the peace process, due to the Israeli policy of continuing settlements.

Palestinians are demoralized because the US administration has been unable to pressure Israel to halt its settlement construction on lands they claim for a future state.

They fear if US President Barack Obama can't wrest that concession, he won't be able to prod Israel to make other, more sweeping compromises needed to nail down a final peace deal.

A Hamas spokesman says Abbas' decision was considered by Hamas to be a "message of reproach" to the US and Israel.