Palestinian election body to recommend vote delay

RAMALLAH, West Bank Nov 12 (Reuters) - The body responsible for organising Palestinian elections in January will recommend postponing the vote, a senior official in the Fatah movement said on Thursday.

President Mahmoud Abbas had set Jan. 24 as the date for the presidential and legislative elections after his rivals in the Hamas group, which controls the Gaza Strip, refused to sign a reconciliation proposal that scheduled the elections in June.

"The committee will recommend postponing elections because Hamas has rejected elections in Gaza," the official, who declined to give his name, told Reuters ahead of scheduled news conference.