Hamas, Fatah battle in Palestinian parliament election

Polling stations closed in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip after large numbers of Palestinians voted in the first parliamentary election in a decade, with the ruling FATAH party facing a strong challenge from the resistance group HAMAS, The Associated Press reported.

About 1.5m Palestinians were eligible to vote to elect a 132-member parliament.

In occupied East Jerusalem, where 100,000 Palestinians are eligible to vote, just 6,300 residents were allowed to participate in the election inside the city, while the remainder had to travel outside Jerusalem to cast their ballots.

The election commission reported that more than three-quarters of the registered voters participated in the election, including 70.6 percent in the West Bank, and 76.8% in Gaza.

Correspondents say there is a real excitement among Palestinians who have waited a long time to elect their parliament.

The poll, which has been repeatedly delayed, is the first since 1996.

"These elections will determine the fate of the Palestinian people. The various Palestinian groups are participating for the first time. This is a positive thing," said Mohammed Shaabein, a 71-year-old retiree in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya.

Festival

Reports say the election was peaceful, and one EU official said the poll was an example to the Arab world.

Palestinian police were in force to guard the ballot boxes and resistance fighters vowed not to disrupt the election.

"We are so happy with this election festival," Palestinian leader MAHMOUD ABBAS said after voting in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

In Gaza City, HAMAS members were greeting voters as they arrived to vote.

In the Rimal neighborhood, HAMAS activists wearing green hats and bandanas held computerized lists of voters and assigned volunteers to transport supporters to the polling station, while FATAH members were no where to be seen.

"Something inside me led me to vote for HAMAS because we are tired of corruption," said Samer Lulu, a 29-year-old merchant in Gaza City. "With religious people at least we will have our public money in clean hands."

In the nearby Beach refugee camp, both HAMAS and FATAH members formed long lines to welcome the voters. The camp was decorated in a sea of green and yellow flags - green for HAMAS and yellow for FATAH - while some cars were covered in carnation.

In East Jerusalem, where voting took place at the central post office, a 34-year-old woman said she voted for FATAH "because I remain faithful to YASSER ARAFAT.”

At one point, a group of right-wing Israeli MPs and their supporters tried to enter the building forcibly but were blocked by Israeli police.

Close race

An unofficial exit poll, conducted by the West Bank's Al-Najah University, showed that FATAH won most of the votes, with HAMAS a close second.

A pollster told AP that FATAH won more than 42 percent of the vote, and HAMAS more than 34 percent.

Final results are not expected to be released before two weeks.

Despite the challenge, FATAH and HAMAS said they would consider forming a coalition if no clear winner emerges.

HAMAS’ participation in the election has angered Israel, which vowed to end the peace process with the Palestinians if the resistance group became a dominant political party.

On Tuesday, Israel’s acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert welcomed the poll as an historic opportunity for the Palestinians, but urged voters not to elect HAMAS members.

But ABBAS said today that he was ready to restart peace talks with the Israelis even if HAMAS joined the government.

"We are partners with the Israelis. They don't have the right to choose their partner. But if they are seeking a Palestinian partner, this partner exists," he said.