Fatah keeps lead as campaign concludes

Fatah faces an unprecedented threat to its long hold on power from the Islamist movement Hamas when voters head to the polls on Wednesday in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.

The possibility of a Hamas victory, or a strong enough showing to enable it to push for a cabinet seat, has led Israel to warn that the peace process will remain frozen and international players that they will struggle to continue dealing with the Palestinian Authority.

However, a poll conducted by the West Bank's An-Najah university found that while the gap between the two parties is narrowing, Fatah should still win 42 percent of votes against 34 percent for Hamas, with three smaller parties holding the balance of power.

Hundreds of foreign observers, including former US president Jimmy Carter, will oversee a vote, which had at one stage threatened to be marred by violence.

Around 1.34 million Palestinians will be entitled to cast their vote in what is only the second ever parliamentary election, electing 132 deputies to the Ramallah-based legislative council.

Fatah was expected to concentrate its last push for votes in its West Bank stronghold, staging rallies in the main cities such as Nablus and Hebron.

Hamas was to wheel out its big guns, such as chief candidate Ismail Haniya, in rallies in its Gaza Strip power base.

Fatah's campaign chief Nabil Shaath admitted the movement's dominance faces a major threat from Hamas, which boycotted the only other election a decade ago.