Campaigning began today for a Palestinian legislative election amid speculation that President Mahmoud Abbas could delay voting.
The January 25th ballot is widely seen as a referendum on Mr Abbas's rule following Israel's Gaza pullout last year, which raised hopes of ending fighting and of founding a Palestinian state.
President Mahmoud Abbas has come under pressure to delay voting
But surging chaos in Gaza, and diplomatic deadlock over Israel's designs on the occupied West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem have sapped support for Fatah, the ruling Palestinian faction, which is also dogged by allegations of corruption and mismanagement.
Islamic militant group Hamas, popular among Palestinians for its charities and suicide bombings against Israel, is Fatah's most robust rival.
"There is a Palestinian crisis, and elections are a first step towards resolution," said a Hamas spokesman. "Now we can say that our people are on the threshold of a new era, an era of real change and reform."
With Fatah divided between veteran members and a young guard vying for influence, Mr Abbas has come under pressure within the faction to delay the election.
He raised this possibility on Monday, citing expectations Israeli authorities would bar voting in East Jerusalem, which Palestinian see as a future capital and Israel annexed after the 1967 Middle East war.
