Former Prime Minister Mr Mahmoud Abbas and jailed grassroots leader Mr Marwan Barghouthi are neck-and-neck in the Palestinian presidential election race, according to an opinion poll published today.
The poll by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research forecast that Mr Abbas, widely seen as a potential peacemaker, would get 40 per cent of the vote in the January 9th ballot against 38 per cent for Mr Barghouthi.
The survey of 1,320 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza had a margin of error of three per cent.
A victory by Mr Barghouthi, a leader of the Palestinian uprising, would pose problems for reviving peace talks. He is serving five life terms in an Israeli jail after being convicted of ordering attacks that killed Israelis. He denies the charges.
"It could be a year when we begin to discuss with our Palestinian neighbours a life free from the threat of terrorism," he said.
The election has been called following the death of PLO leader Mr Yasser Arafat, an icon for Palestinians who managed to maintain relative peace among rival factions.
His death has led to fears that the Palestinian Territories - were most of the population live in poverty because of years of Israeli Defence Force raids and border restrictions - could descend into chaos.
In a sign of the concern the uncertainty is creating, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon today held out the prospect of talks with a new Palestinian leadership in 2005.
And in Damascus, Syria and the PLO opened a new chapter in their often turbulent ties, saying they wanted to coordinate their efforts to make peace with Israel.