Palestinians hold local elections in occupied West Bank

By JOSEPH KRAUSS
Associated Press

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinians have voted in local elections in the occupied West Bank. They come less than a year after President Mahmoud Abbas called off parliamentary elections that would have likely loosened his party’s grip on power. Most candidates are running as independents, though many have ties to Abbas’ Fatah party, and the outcomes will largely depend on local dynamics. The Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, is boycotting the elections and refusing to hold them in the isolated territory. The elections largely revolve around local personalities and dynamics, and are unlikely to produce any clear referendum on the national leadership.