Yet it is unclear whether his call for early elections is legal or not. Palestinian Basic Law (a sort of constitution) clearly states that the president cannot dissolve the parliament. This rule was implemented to weaken Arafat when he was in power. But, Abbas, by volunteering his own position up for grabs in the election has made it tough for his opponents to reject his call. The Hamas-dominated government and the Damascus-based factions have just awkwardly criticized the call for early parliamentary elections.

Abbas called for a national referendum earlier on the prisoner's document. Just before the decree to hold a referendum, Hamas's leaders publicly opposed it. Then Abbas took legal steps toward holding the referendum and Hamas backed down, accepting the document. Since then, the Haniyeh government has faltered in following through with the requirements that would have broken the international community's unjust siege on Palestine.

Some legal experts believe that Abbas might need to hold a referendum on early parliamentary and presidential elections before actually taking legal steps to declare a date for elections.

Regardless, it is too early to tell whether this time Hamas will back down from their position and accept whatever is required to create a government that will win the support of the international community and meet the three conditions needed to end the siege. But if the earlier challenge posed by Abbas is a basis for any prediction, Hamas will likely climb down the tree and accept the kind of government that Abbas feels is needed to move the Palestinian cause forward.

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