Hamas has reportedly defeated Fatah by a significant margin in three of the four major West Bank cities where local elections were held Thursday: Nablus, Jenin and Al-Bireh, near Ramallah.
The final results will only be published on Sunday, but initial results indicated Hamas winning 65 percent of the seats on the Nablus city council, compared to only 15 percent for Fatah. In Jenin, early results showed Hamas winning over 50 percent of the vote, and in Al-Bireh, it was also leading Fatah by a wide margin. Only in Ramallah a joint list comprised of Fatah and several leftist parties appeared to be in the lead.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army early Friday imposed a closure on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank following the recent barrage of rockets fired from Gaza Strip.
Before dawn Friday, Israel Air Force warplanes attacked 13 targets in the Gaza Strip and broke the sound barrier over the Strip, Israel Radio reported.
