GAZA CITY, 24 January 2006 — On the last day of campaigning for the Palestinian elections, Hamas yesterday launched blistering verbal attacks on Israel but left the door open to negotiations, in a mixed message aimed at shoring up support. Candidates from the ruling Fatah movement wrapped up their campaign by joining hundreds of supporters on a visit to Yasser Arafat’s home in Gaza, hoping to parlay the memory of the iconic leader into crucial votes.
Islamic Jihad yesterday called on its supporters to boycott the elections. The movement said in a statement: “We call upon all our fighters and supporters not to participate in the legislative elections in any form.”
Meanwhile, Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Yousuf said yesterday that armed factions will not be allowed to protect the ballots during the elections. He said Palestinian Security Forces are the only ones to protect the ballots. The Interior Ministry has announced the highest state of alert until the results of the elections are announced. Yousuf also warned that if there is any Israeli escalation in the West Bank during elections, Palestinian security troops would immediately respond.
Earlier in the day, Israeli military sources said that troops will stay away from Palestinian towns in the West Bank for the next three days to avoid interfering in the election process, except to stop militants who pose serious threats. According to Israeli media, the sources also confirmed that the army would avoid staging military raids except in cases of ticking bombs and would avoid entry into Palestinian cities. In addition, troops have also been instructed to permit free passage of Palestinian election cars through the Israeli military checkpoints in the West Bank.
