The FINANCIAL -- GAZA, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in a televised speech on November 5 he did not want to run for reelection in January but his wording made some think he could change his mind.

Abbas, who was considered the frontrunner for the upcoming presidential election, said he notified his companions of his "desire not to run in the elections" that his associates linked to a stalemate in the Israeli-Palestinian and inter-Palestinian settlement.

A document to reconcile the two largest Palestinian factions - Islamist movement Hamas and Abbas-led Fatah - was put forward by Cairo in early September. In the summer of 2007, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip and pushed Fatah out of the enclave.

Hamas said Abbas's call for the elections the president scheduled for January 24 was illegal as it had not been agreed upon with the group, and the president's term formally expired in January 2009.

In October, Hamas said Palestinians in the Gaza Strip must not take part in the elections or face persecution.

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