Sami Abu Zuhri, spokesman of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), announced on Thursday that Hamas decided not to participate in voting in some constituencies in the West Bank due to security reasons.

Abu Zuhri said in a written statement that Hamas decided to only participate in 61 constituencies in the West Bank, among a total of 82 municipalities across the area.

Abu Zuhri said a large number of Hamas members have been asserted during the past few days, which was a direct Israeli intervention in the Palestinian internal affairs.

He also accused Israel of trying to weaken Hamas in the elections.

Palestinians began casting ballots in the third round of West Bank municipal elections Thursday morning. The voting started at 7: 00 a.m. (0400 GMT) and will last till 7:00 p.m. (1600 GMT).

Altogether 2,274 candidates will compete for 814 seats.

Hamas has outperformed the Palestinian mainstream Fatah in the previous two rounds of municipal elections and is expected to do well in the parliamentary elections slated for Jan. 25.

The rise of Hamas in the Palestinian political landscape has stirred concerns in Israel, which threatens to disrupt the legislative ballot if Hamas participates.

Source: Xinhua