RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's government said on Monday it planned to appoint committees to take over from elected local councils in the occupied West Bank in a move denounced by Hamas.
Hamas Islamists had made gains in local council elections in 2004 and 2005 before trouncing Abbas's long-dominant Fatah faction in a parliamentary election in January 2006.
Palestinian Information Minister Riyad al-Malki said the committees appointed by the government would take over from elected officials when their terms expire and would act as "caretakers" until local elections can be held.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum accused Abbas, whose government is headed by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, of "pursuing a policy of excluding Hamas and others for the sake of one-party rule."
Malki said the appointments were in accordance with Palestinian law "since the current conditions do not allow the holding of elections for the local councils," according to the official WAFA news agency.
Abbas, the Fatah leader, appointed Fayyad's government after Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007.
Tensions between the factions spiked again last month after Hamas boycotted Egyptian-brokered reconciliation talks.
Hamas insists Abbas's term must end on January 9 and has said it will not recognise his legitimacy after that date. Abbas says his term ends in 2010.
Abbas has threatened to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in April over objections from Hamas.
(Reporting by Wafa Amr in Ramallah and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Writing by Adam Entous; Editing by Michael Roddy)
