Original: Notwithstanding the 2005 municipal elections and the January 9, 2005 presidential election, this was the first election to the PLC since 1996; subsequent elections had been repeatedly postponed due to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Simplified: Without counting the 2005 municipal elections and the January 9, 2005 presidential election, this was the first election to the PLC since 1996; since then, elections had been delayed several times due to the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.