Voter turnout was high amid tough security measures in the first Palestinian parliamentary elections in a decade. The vote will determine the future of the Palestinian territories and peace negotiations with Israel.
Long lines were seen across the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Published reports indicated that with three hours still remaining, 57.6 percent of eligible voters had already cast their ballots for the 132 parliament seats available.
This election marked the first time that the militant group Hamas had run candidates in a vote across the territories. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. Experts are unsure what effect the future participation of Hamas in the new Palestinian government will have on peace negotiations. Thus far, Hamas militants have stated they will not be laying down their arms and joining Israel at the negotiating table.
Palestinian Authority President and Fatah Party leader Mahmoud Abbas said he was ready to negotiate with Israel regardless of the makeup of the next government.
'We are ready to negotiate,' Abbas told Israeli reporters in Ramallah. 'We are partners with the Israelis. They don't have the right to choose their partner. But if they are seeking a Palestinian partner, this partner exists.'
Pre-election polls listed the vote as too close to call. Hamas has won a great deal of support in large part due to Fatah's reputation for corruption and its failure to bring order to the Gaza Strip after Israel's unilateral withdrawal last August. Both Hamas and Fatah are predicting they will win more than half the seats in today's elections. Final results will not be known for a few days after the polls close.
