Palestinian candidate walks tightrope with militants

JERUSALEM - Mahmoud Abbas has tried to pull off a delicate balancing act in his campaign for Sunday's Palestinian elections, embracing militants who have been battling Israel for more than four years while expressing support for a stalled peace plan that requires him to crack down on them.

Abbas says he is confident he can persuade the militants to agree to a cease-fire, but a deadly shooting attack on Israelis on Friday by a group affiliated with his own party cast doubt on his ability to pull that off.

Dealing with the militants, who have been responsible for scores of suicide bombings and shootings of Israelis, will be one of the first obstacles Abbas faces after the presidential election, which polls indicate he will win in a landslide. Abbas has called for a quick renewal of peace talks with Israel, which has demanded an end to the attacks.

The existence of independent armed groups - who sometimes battle among themselves - will also threaten Abbas' ability to govern effectively, and he will need to co-opt, marginalize or eliminate them, analysts said.

During his campaign to succeed the late Yasser Arafat, Abbas has sent a host of mixed messages as he tried to secure an overwhelming victory that will give him a strong mandate to make difficult decisions after the election.

The 69-year-old Abbas, a staid, uncomfortable campaigner, lacks Arafat's street credibility and has turned to the militants for help in courting the votes of younger Palestinians.

He has been carried on militants' shoulders at rallies, held the banner of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades - a violent group affiliated with his Fatah party - and referred to Israel as "the Zionist enemy," a term normally used by groups such as the Islamic militant Hamas.

And he has promised to do everything in his power to protect the militants from Israeli attack.

"Our brothers, the fugitives, we do not forget them. They deserve a life with dignity and security and they have to get it," Abbas said during a campaign stop Friday.

But he has also repeatedly condemned the armed uprising against Israel as a mistake that has hurt the Palestinians, and said he wants to revive the internationally backed "road map" peace plan, which demands the Palestinians disarm and dismantle all militant groups.

Abbas has said that instead of cracking down on the groups, he would negotiate with the militant groups to end violence. He said he was confident they would agree.

"With God's help, we will have quiet. I am not talking about a cease-fire for a short time, but for quiet that lasts a long time, to give the peace process a chance," Abbas said.