Palestinian gunmen linked to the ruling Fatah movement killed one of their party leaders yesterday, heightening tensions on the eve of parliamentary balloting and raising doubts about a new pledge by armed groups in the West Bank and Gaza to hold their fire during the vote.

 

Opinion polls have shown Fatah and Hamas in a close race ahead of today's election and both sides have said they might form a coalition government. Candidates were banned from campaigning yesterday for a cooling-off period before the election.

 

Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas candidate in northern Gaza, said the Islamic group expects to become the largest party in parliament. But it will not try to form a government alone, instead seeking a partnership with Fatah or other parties, he said.

 

Top Hamas leaders spoke with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas recently to discuss the elections and their aftermath, he said, without giving details of the talks.

 

Meanwhile, Abbas called on all Palestinians to exercise their right to vote. "The election is a right and duty at the same time, and I hope that the results of this election will reflect honestly the Palestinian people's opinions," he said.

 

Fatah also has been riven by internal divisions, which turned deadly yesterday. Fatah gunmen shot to death Abu Ahmed Hassouna, 44, a party leader in Nablus after he told them to stop shooting at campaign posters on his house, relatives said. It was the second politically motivated killing of the campaign.

 

About 1,000 people marched to the main police station in Nablus to protest the shooting, giving the police chief a letter demanding an end to lawlessness. "Enough, enough. We want the police to protect us," they shouted. Dozens of gunmen later blocked a main road and shopkeepers shut down their stores in protest.

 

Hamas, known for its suicide bombings and calls for Israel's destruction, has emerged as a formidable political force, attracting voters with calls for clean government and an end to Fatah's corruption, while pointing to its own popular social and education programs.

 

Hamas has said that if it wins a majority, it would form a coalition and take only low profile, service-related cabinet posts and let Abbas deal with Israel. Israeli officials have said they will not deal with Hamas until it disarms and renounces violence, a vow that could complicate hopes for restarting peace talks.

 

The main road in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun was decorated Tuesday with green Hamas flags, yellow Fatah flags, and red, green, black and white Palestinian flags. The display was orderly, and equal space was given to all.

 

Ahmed Saadat, a 24-year-old policeman, said he reconsidered his plan to vote for Hamas because the militant group's softer line in recent weeks began to resemble Fatah's platform.

 

Although Fatah has made "countless mistakes," Saadat said, "at least Fatah has tried to bring us peace, and Fatah is known to everyone." He spoke near a field Israel pounded with ordnance because militants used it to launch rockets.

 

(China Daily January 25, 2006)