NABLUS - The ruling Palestinian Hamas movement lost control of a key student council in the West Bank on Monday in an election often seen as a
bellwether of general opinion.

The Islamist group tied with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah with 38 seats apiece in the poll at A-Najah, the West Bank's largest university, in Nablus. Hamas lost two seats and Fatah picked up four over past year.

	Advertisement

Fatah was now favored to head the 81-member council in coalition with several smaller allies.

Hamas's outright defeat of Fatah in the same university poll last year had heralded Hamas's victory the following January in a parliamentary election, which ousted Fatah from longstanding dominancy of Palestinian politics.

Youssef Harb, a Fatah spokesman for the Nablus region, said of the poll: "We consider this an achievement. Fatah has increased its power and will head the next student council."

A Hamas official in Nablus said the results showed Hamas had not been defeated by Fatah and "has confirmed its popularity again."

Analysts say the poll may reflect an overall popularity decline for Hamas after an economic crisis triggered by a Western aid embargo that had been aimed at pressuring Hamas to recognize Israel and renounce violence.

"Often the educated youth are closer to Hamas and this is a good indication that there is a shift away from Hamas," said Jamil Rabah, who heads the think-tank, Near East Consulting, in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

But Hamas's decline has not necessarily boosted Fatah's popularity, as illustrated by the draw in Monday's vote, Rabah said. "People are fed up with both. The popular appeal is very much split between Hamas and Fatah."

Talks between Fatah and Hamas on forging a unity government more acceptable to Western powers have become bogged down in disagreement over which party would control the key interior and finance ministries.