A Palestinian parliamentary election set for July 17 will have to be postponed because of a dispute over voting law reforms, Deputy Prime Minister Nabil Shaath said on Wednesday. Hamas militants, gaining popularity at the expense of the ruling Fatah party, demand the vote be held on time. A delay could worsen factional tension and complicate President Mahmoud Abbas's bid to maintain calm to revive peace talks with Israel. Abbas has insisted the election would go ahead as scheduled but Shaath said that was no longer possible. He cited a Central Election Commission (CEC) statement on Monday that it no longer had enough time to prepare for a mid-July vote because of Abbas's refusal to ratify electoral law amendments passed by parliament.