Two Palestinian militant groups today threatened to call off a ceasefire with Israel if Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas persisted with an arrest campaign he launched after a suicide bombing killed five Israelis.

Israel will not move forward in the US-backed road map peace plan if Hamas participates in Palestinian legislative elections without disarming, an aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said today.

Pragmatist Mahmoud Abbas was elected Palestinian Authority president by a wide margin today, exit polls showed, winning a decisive mandate to renew peace talks with Israel, rein in militants and try to end more than four years of Mideast bloodshed.

Israeli police prevented more than a dozen Israeli demonstrators from disrupting voting in today’s Palestinian presidential vote, a Jerusalem police spokesman said.

Israeli troops will withdraw from Palestinian cities and towns for 72 hours during next month’s Palestinian presidential election, the Israeli defence minister said today.

Interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is emerging as the front-runner in presidential elections, with an 18-point lead over jailed uprising leader Marwan Barghouti, according to the first poll on how Palestinians will vote on January 9.

A HAMAS leader has said the militant group could accept creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza and a long-term truce with Israel, signalling a possible new overture to end hostilities.

ISRAELI leaders told US Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday that they will do their utmost to allow Palestinian elections to take place, including easing travel restrictions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.