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Israel air strikes kill 4 militants
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-15 08:57 The second strike came after nightfall. Khader Habib, an Islamic Jihad
spokesman, was slightly wounded when an Israeli missile was fired at his car,
Islamic Jihad official Omar Shallah said, pledging to continue the struggle
against Israel.
Late Wednesday and early Thursday, Israeli artillery and aircraft also
pounded northern Gaza, where militants fired rockets at Israel. Two Palestinians
were slightly wounded.
The first airstrike interrupted a news conference by Hamas at which leaders
of the Islamic group were presenting their list of candidates for the
parliamentary election, the first in a decade 錕斤拷 and the first time Hamas is
running.
Hamas has done well in three rounds of local elections in the past few months
and expects a strong showing in West Bank municipal elections Thursday.
The group has been building strength partly because of the bumbling of Abbas
and his Fatah Party, unable to clean up rampant corruption, combat widespread
poverty or take advantage of Israel's pullout from Gaza and part of the West
Bank in the summer.
Hamas ideology does not accept a place for a Jewish state in the Middle East,
and its suicide bombers have killed hundreds of Israelis over five years of
conflict. However, Hamas has largely kept a truce Abbas negotiated in February,
showing its practical side.
Ismail Haniyeh headed Hamas' list of candidates. Haniyeh's pragmatism is
relative 錕斤拷 he does not recognize Israel or favor peace talks 錕斤拷 but he has often
expressed his support for the truce, which expires at the end of December.
Hamas hard-liner Mahmoud Zahar was relegated to the ninth slot. Ten women
were among the 62 candidates, including widows of two Hamas notables killed in
Israeli strikes 錕斤拷 Jamila Shanti, wife of Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi and
Mona Mansour, widow of a West Bank Hamas leader.
Fatah infighting has led to armed attacks on polling places during primary
elections and, in recent days, assaults on election commission offices. On
Wednesday, gunmen burst into Fatah headquarters and exchanged fire with the
bodyguards of a party leader. Three people were wounded.
In the hour before a midnight deadline, young Fatah activists registered
their candidates under a new party named "The Future," headed by Marwan
Barghouti, who is serving multiple life terms in an Israeli prison.
Barghouti briefly entered the race to succeed the late Yasser Arafat in a
January election but withdrew, leaving Abbas as the only Fatah candidate.
Half of the 132 members of parliament will be elected according to lists,
with the candidates at the top entering the parliament in proportion to the
number of votes their parties received. The other half will be elected by
districts.
Where Fatah primaries were held, young activists thrashed old-time,
corruption-tainted colleagues of Arafat. But Abbas declared the primaries as
just one of the factors in drawing the list 錕斤拷 inserting the old guard back into
prominent places.
That set off a rebellion among the young activists, ending in the party
split.
Abbas' supporters submitted their own list, but aides said Abbas and
Barghouti talked by telephone and pledged to try to avert the split. A decision
was expected Thursday. The aides said Barghouti also tops the old-time Fatah
list.
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