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Israeli army to avoid W.Bank towns during election
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-23 19:53
The Israeli army plans to steer clear of Palestinian
towns in the occupied West Bank to avoid interfering in the January 25
Palestinian parliamentary election, an Israeli military source said on Monday.
A Palestinian election official checks a
voter's identification at a polling station in the West Bank city of
Ramallah January 22, 2006. Palestinian security forces voted in a
parliamentary election, casting ballots early to free them for duty in the
main poll next week, the first to be contested by the militant group
Hamas. About 60,000 members of the security forces are eligible to vote
from Saturday to Monday, in advance of polling day on Wednesday when
Palestinian civilians will vote in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Arab East
Jerusalem. [Reuters] |
The move came as hundreds of Palestinian candidates wrapped up their
campaigns ahead of Wednesday's vote, which was expected to give a major boost to
the militant group Hamas.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, in the region to monitor the election,
said he received assurances from interim Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that
military checkpoints would be "as open as possible on election day."
But before scaling back its operations, the Israeli army arrested 24
suspected militants in what sources said was likely to be the final raids before
the vote. Four Hamas activists were arrested, including a municipal official,
Palestinian officials said.
Hamas, a group that calls for Israel's destruction, could make a strong
enough showing in the parliamentary election to join the Palestinian government.
A big win for Hamas could prompt the United States to scale back contacts
with the Palestinian Authority and possibly freeze direct financial assistance,
U.S. diplomatic sources said.
Carter, speaking at a conference in Israel, said Hamas's electoral success
"may or may not lead to their assuming more moderate and peaceful policies," but
added: "This they must do."
Hamas has gained popularity among Palestinians not only for its attacks on
Israelis during a more than five-year-old uprising but also for its charity
network in the West Bank and Gaza, and its corruption-free image.
Official campaigning in the election ends on Monday and both Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement and Hamas were expected to hold final
get-out-the-vote rallies.
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