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Young Palestinians break from Fatah

HADARIM PRISON, Israel - Young Palestinian activists from the ruling Fatah Party rejected a call for unity Thursday, determined to push aside the corrupt old guard associated with Yasser Arafat and form their own party for January parliamentary elections.

The decision, made after a meeting with their imprisoned leader, deepened a crisis for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and threatened to give a boost to Islamic Hamas militants.

In another blow to Fatah, Hamas swept to victory in elections in the West Bank's largest city, Nablus, according to official results announced early today.

Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five life terms in an Israeli prison for involvement in deadly attacks, rejected Abbas' efforts to patch up their differences, said Sufian Abu Zaydeh, a close associate of Barghouti.

With Fatah in turmoil, the prospect of a strong Hamas presence in the new Palestinian Parliament seemed realistic - possibly torpedoing future peace moves, since both Israel and the United States consider the Islamic movement a terror group after dozens of Hamas suicide bombings.

Registration for the Jan. 25 election closed Wednesday, with the young guard presenting its own list - running under the name the Future - while Fatah registered separately.

However, Barghouti's name was featured on the top of both lists - a maneuver to win time to resolve differences.

Abbas, who also heads Fatah, did not comment on the upheaval Thursday, saying only, "Whatever results come out of the ballot box will be accepted and legitimate."

Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Shaath of Fatah said candidates would have to decide by today whether to run on the Fatah list or the Future list. The final Fatah list will be compiled today by Abbas, Shaath said.

Barghouti, 46, is standing firm against the old guard, his associates said. "This is not a matter of a personal decision by Marwan," said Kadoura Fares, another of the leaders who met Barghouti on Thursday. "It's a matter of a majority in the movement."

They are determined to replace the old guard that returned from exile with Arafat in the mid 1990s and brought an autocratic and corrupt style of government. Polls show the old Fatah leadership is losing support among the people, who are tired of the endless political maneuvering, ineffective government, squabbling security forces and economic hardship.

Taking advantage of the dissatisfaction, Hamas is posing a significant threat to Fatah in the election. Hamas calmly presented a list with a relative pragmatist, Ismail Haniyeh, in the top spot - a stark contrast to the Fatah infighting, which has even turned violent several times in recent weeks.

Hamas built on recent gains in local elections, winning 73 percent of the vote in Nablus and 11 of the 13 seats on the City Council, while Fatah won just 13 percent, taking the other two seats, according to Azmi al-Tanjir, the head of the local election commission.

Meanwhile, citing continuing militant activity, Israel canceled plans to allow a trial of a "safe passage" for Palestinians through its territory between the West Bank and Gaza.

[Last modified December 16, 2005, 00:55:10]