Why did the Palestinian Authority postpone elections - again?

Three months after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced elections, the vote has been postponed once again, deepening questions over the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Announced by presidential decree on 10 October, the decision cited Israeli restrictions on the electoral commission and deteriorating conditions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. But analysts and Palestinian political insiders say logistical obstacles tell only part of the story. An unlikely alliance between Hamas and the faction of former Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan, both rivals of Abbas, threatened to upend Fatah’s electoral calculations and challenge its dominance.