PALESTINE: Palestinian voters will elect a new parliament today in a vital ballot which is widely expected to see the ruling Fatah movement lose ground to Hamas, the militant Islamic group which is contesting national elections for the first time.
Palestinians hope the first parliamentary elections in a decade will produce a revitalised and more accountable administration dedicated to improving their blighted economy and boosting their waning struggle to end 38 years of Israeli occupation and settlement.
However, Israel and western governments are grappling with a post-election scenario which could involve the ascent to power of Hamas, a proscribed terrorist group in the US and EU and the main sponsor of terror attacks against Israel.
Several recent polls show the corruption-tainted Fatah is likely to win a slight majority over its Islamic rival, but may lose its current outright majority and have to form a coalition with other factions.
Israel refuses to negotiate with Hamas and says the group's militant wing must disarm and abandon its charter, which calls for the destruction of the Jewish state.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this week cautioned Palestinian voters that terrorism was not a pathway to peace, but she did not explicitly rule out dealing with a Palestinian government which included some Hamas ministers. EU external relations commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the union was "in principle ready to work with any government of the Palestinians that would seek peace by peaceful means."
In recent weeks Hamas leaders have sent mixed signals about their post-election intentions, with some hinting at its willingness to hold future talks with Israel, possibly through a third party, while others dismissed any hint of negotiations.
The party has been equally vague about its intentions if it emerges from the polls as the main parliamentary bloc or a major faction able to join a coalition government. One suggestion is for Hamas to take only low-profile cabinet posts in a future coalition, while letting Fatah deal with Israel.
Some analysts see a strong showing by Hamas as a positive step in the evolution of Palestinian politics from one-party rule by Fatah since the first parliamentary polls in 1996 to a more pluralist system. Many Palestinians contrast Fatah's rampant corruption and mismanagement with the perceived discipline and clean hands of Hamas, which also runs an extensive charity network.
Today's voting for the 132-seat Palestinian Legislative Council follows US media reports that the US provided €1.6 million in indirect financial support to bolster the Palestinian Authority's governing Fatah movement against Hamas's electoral threat.
American consulate officials in Jerusalem reportedly said the US Agency for International Development had funded programmes, including tree-planting and street-cleaning, which were designed to enhance democracy in the Palestinian territories, not just Fatah.
Meanwhile, the main armed Palestinian factions - including the military wing of Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades - yesterday jointly pledged to ensure the elections pass off peacefully and agreed that militants would not carry arms near or inside polling stations.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas appealed for maximum voter turnout.
"The election is a right and duty at the same time, and I hope that the results of this election will reflect honestly the Palestinian people's opinions," Mr Abbas told reporters after a meeting with Jimmy Carter, a former US president who is among almost 900 international observers overseeing the vote.
The overnight killing of a Fatah campaign worker by gunmen loyal to a Fatah rival in the West Bank city of Nablus underlined the movement's ongoing internal strife and the potential for serious violence on polling day.
Elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli troops arrested suspected militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, despite its pledge to avoid offensive operations ahead of today's polls.