CAIRO, Dec. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Palestinian Justice Minister Nahedd al Rayess said Monday that Israel should help create a "suitable" atmosphere in the run-up to the Palestinian elections slated for Jan. 9.

   Rayess told the Cairo-based Voice of the Arabs radio that he was concerned about the ongoing Israeli military operations in southern Gaza.

   The offensive would not help create the atmosphere needed for holding the Palestinian elections, the minister said.

   On whether Palestinians in east Jerusalem would vote, the Palestinian minister said a final decision was yet to be made, but he believed the inhabitants might cast their ballots via mail.

  During the past few days, Israel has stepped up its military operation in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis in retaliation for a Palestinian attack last Sunday to an Israeli army base at the Gaza-Egypt crossing, which killed at least four Israeli soldiers and wounded 10 others.

   The military escalation has cast a shadow on the upcoming Palestinian elections, which, if going smoothly, will choose a formal successor to late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who died at a French hospital on Nov. 11.  Enditem