Fatah and Hamas in final push for support

Palestinians plastered posters on walls and electric poles, strung up banners and cruised the streets with loudspeaker today, trying to drum up last-minute support for candidates on the final day of campaigning before this week’s parliament election.

Recent polls show Hamas militants gaining ground against Mahmoud Abbas’ ruling Fatah Party in their first legislative run.

Today, the race was still too close to call. As the deadline approached, the campaign became more emotional.

In a debate on the Lebanese TV station LBC, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar told former Gaza security chief Mohammed Dahlan, a top candidate for Fatah, that security forces broke several of his ribs during violent interrogation in a Palestinian lockup several years ago.

Across the West Bank and Gaza, Today marked the final day of early voting for 58,000 members of the security forces. They were asked to cast ballots early, in order to be free to secure polling stations during Wednesday’s election.