The Palestinians' ruling Fatah Party has split, with young activists forming their own party for next month's parliamentary election, a party leader said.
The split is a bitter blow to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah old guard but a boost for the Islamic Hamas, contesting the election for the first time.
Kadoura Fares, a leader of the young activists, told reporters at the Ramallah election headquarters late on Wednesday that they had presented their own list of candidates for the election. But aides to Abbas said he still hoped to avert the split.
Ninety minutes before the midnight deadline for registering candidates, the wife of jailed uprising leader Marwan Barghouti entered election headquarters to formally present the new list, signaling that Barghouti, 46, and his young generation of Fatah leaders were leaving the party.
Saeb Nimr, Barghouti's campaign manager, told reporters, "We have registered an independent party under the name, `The Future,' headed by Marwan Barghouti."
Abbas' supporters submitted their own list, but aides said Abbas and Barghouti talked by telephone and pledged to try to avert the split.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al Kidwa said Barghouti also tops the oldtime Fatah list along with another prisoner, followed by three members of the old guard -- Intissar al-Wazir, widow of a Fatah fighter and often linked to corruption, Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and parliament speaker Rawhi Fattouh.
The political drama came after a day of violence in Gaza -- two Israeli air strikes at militants that killed four and wounded five others, including an Islamic Jihad spokesman.
On Wednesday afternoon, an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a car near the Karni cargo crossing, killing four Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) militants. Israel said the missile set off explosives in the car as the militants were on their way to attack the Karni crossing, a vital lifeline for Palestinian imports and exports.
After nightfall, the Israelis fired another missile, targeting Islamic Jihad spokesman Khader Habib. Islamic Jihad official Omar Shallah said Habib was slightly injured.
Later, Israeli artillery pounded empty parts of northern Gaza after militants fired rockets at Israel, and aircraft fired two missiles at access roads, the military said. Two Palestinians were slightly wounded.
Early yesterday, an Israeli helicopter fired a missile at the house of a PRC leader in northern Gaza, residents said. A relative was wounded. The military said the target was a PRC weapons storehouse.
In southern Gaza early yesterday, an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at an Islamic Jihad office. No one was hurt.
Barghouti, serving five life terms in an Israeli prison for involvement in deadly attacks, has won West Bank primary elections conducted by Fatah, but oldtime Fatah leaders, headed by Abbas, tried to insert old guard figures in the list ahead of the younger leaders, setting off a rebellion.
Half an hour before the midnight deadline, oldtime Fatah officials came to present their list of candidates, but they said efforts were still underway to unify the party. Election officials said Barghouti himself would have to decide which party to represent, and adjustments could be made until Jan. 1.
Altogether, the officials said, more than 400 candidates signed up under 12 parties.
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