Palestinians hold local election in West Bank

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Palestinians living in Israel-occupied West Bank voted Saturday in the local election, which is boycotted by several Palestinian groups.

Voting started at 7:00 a.m. local time and will continue until 7:00 p.m.

Around 1,143,000 Palestinians are eligible to vote for representatives of 145 local councils, according to the Central Election Committee.

Members of the Palestinian security service cast their ballot on Thursday.

In February, the Ramallah-based government decided to hold the polls in the West Bank, while postponed it in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

The vote is boycotted by Palestinian group Hamas, which said the inter-Palestinian reconciliation should be achieved first before holding the polls.

Palestinian groups Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have also decided not to take part in the polls.