Special report: Internal situation in Palestine  

    RAMALLAH, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas threatened Wednesday to give a push to his plan for early elections despite strong opposition from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

    "It is time to issue early elections decrees," Abbas said during a ceremony to sign an economic deal with the United States.

    The pact worth 160 million U.S. dollars was aimed at supporting small projects in the Palestinian territories.

    Abbas promised to "use the constitutional authorities to issue special decrees of early presidential and parliamentary polls."

    He attributed his decision to the poor performance of Hamas in parliament, saying that since Hamas won parliamentary elections in2006, it has been blocking parliament and preventing the pass of any law.

    Abbas sacked the Hamas-led unity government in mid June when the Islamic movement seized control of the Gaza Strip in bloody fighting, forming a new government in the West Bank.

    The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) failed to convene on Sunday for a confidence vote on the new government that is led by Salam Fayyad, a U.S.-educated economist.

    Hamas, which enjoys the parliamentary majority, pledged to deliver no confidence vote to the government, saying its creation was unconstitutional.

    Abbas considered Hamas' vow as a continuation of disabling the parliament "as it (Hamas) has been doing."