Hamas in election triumph

HAMAS supporters yesterday celebrated a landslide election victory in major West Bank towns, the strongest sign yet of the Islamic militant group’s growing political appeal ahead of January 25 parliament elections.

Israel responded with concern, saying a Palestinian government dominated by Hamas which calls for Israel's destruction would not be a partner for peace.

The results stunned officials from Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party, who blamed the poor showing on internal disarray in the party, which split earlier this week in a dispute over its slate for the parliamentary election.

Also yesterday, Palestinian militants shot at an Israeli car near the West Bank city of Hebron, killing a resident of a nearby Jewish settlement. Militants linked to Fatah and Islamic Jihad claimed joint responsibility.

Israel said the Palestinian Authority is not doing enough to stop extremists and linked the attack to the elections.

"It is totally unacceptable and intolerable that when they have elections in the Palestinian Authority, we will have to pay the price in casualties because of the competition between various groups," said Raanan Gissin, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "The competition should take place with ballots, not bullets."

Thousands of Hamas supporters marched through West Bank and Gaza towns after Friday prayers to celebrate the group's election victory. In the West Bank town of Jenin, where Hamas won eight of 15 seats on the local council, supporters held up copies of the Koran and chanted: "To Jerusalem we march, martyrs by the millions."

Hamas overwhelmed Fatah in the city of Nablus, capturing 73% of the vote and 13 of 15 council seats.

Hamas' schools, clinics and other welfare programmes coupled with its violent resistance to Israel's occupation have won it grassroots support among Palestinians fed up with Fatah's corruption and its inability to bring order to the lawless streets of the West Bank and Gaza.