The Ruling Fateh movement won, on Friday, in 61 out of 104 local councils in the West Bank, yet Hamas movement won in 50% of the councils it contested, around 70% of the eligible voters practiced their right.
The elections were held in 82 local councils; Hamas ran for 56 councils and won half of them. 22 councils were formed following agreements between the candidates and various parties.
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Hamas officials stated that the movement did better than the initially announced results by the Palestinian Elections Committee, but still its performance is considered a failure.
Also, Hamas said that the gap between its candidates and Fateh candidates in not large, taking in consideration that Fateh obtained most of its council through agreements.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority analysts said that the results of the election only showed a small advantage for Fateh over Hamas, and that such a result is expected to repeat itself in the upcoming legislative elections in January.
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Some analysts believe that the Israeli offensive against Hamas in the occupied territories aided the movement and gave it a wider public support.
