The Road To Palestinian Elections

The U.S. And Israel Are pinning their hopes on former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to succeed Yasser Arafat as leader of the Palestinians. But among Palestinians there are growing anxieties about whether Abbas, a moderate who took over as chairman of the P.L.O. after Arafat's death, can survive the runup to the election for a new President, scheduled for Jan. 9. Two days after Arafat's funeral, gunmen opened fire inside a mourning tent in Gaza where Abbas was appearing, killing two of his bodyguards. Senior officials from Fatah, the main faction of the P.L.O., told TIME they are worried that more...

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