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Hamas beats Fatah to control big West Bank cities: poll

Posted on: Thursday, 15 December 2005, 13:53 CST

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Hamas won control on Thursday of the councils of some large West Bank cities, beating the ruling Fatah party in a municipal vote seen as a test of strength ahead of parliamentary elections, a poll showed.

The survey by the Palestinian Center of Policy and Survey Research said the militant group had won 68 percent of seats in Nablus's municipality, while President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah garnered 16 percent. The city is home to about 187,000 people.

Sworn to Israel's destruction, Hamas, which has spearheaded a suicide bombing campaign since the start of a Palestinian uprising in 2000, could undermine Abbas's peace efforts with Israel if it gains clout in parliament.

Hamas's power has grown since the start of the uprising and since Israel completed its Gaza pullout in September. Israel fears the group could make strong gains in a parliamentary vote on January 25, when it will challenge Fatah for the first time.

The poll showed Hamas won 53 percent of council seats in the West Bank town of al-Bireh, while Fatah received 27 percent. In the city of Jenin, Hamas garnered 43 percent of municipal seats, while Fatah and other groups received 42 percent.

Fatah retained control of the council of the city of Ramallah, where the main Palestinian government offices are located, as the poll gave the party a slight edge over Hamas, with 34 percent and 31 percent respectively.

Fatah had outstripped Hamas in a previous round of municipal elections in September, gaining control of 51 out of 104 West Bank town councils. But Hamas had made a strong showing in the first two rounds of municipal ballots in the West Bank and Gaza.

Abbas has been scrambling to heal a split in Fatah between its older and younger loyalists. The rift intensified on Thursday after young dissidents announced they were forming a new party that would run in the parliamentary election.

Source: REUTERS

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