Abbas Election Victory Stirs Hopes for Peace Talks
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RAMALLAH, West Bank  - A landslide victory by  Mahmoud Abbas in Palestinian elections to choose a successor to  Yasser Arafat raised hopes on Monday for reviving talks with  Israel after years of bloodshed.
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RAMALLAH, West Bank  - Palestinians voted on  Sunday for a successor to Yasser Arafat and looked likely to  elect Mahmoud Abbas, who has promised to revive peacemaking  with Israel after years of bloodshed.
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A new cease-fire and a strikingly conciliatory speech by Israel's prime minister are raising hopes for progress in Mideast peacemaking.
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Israel expects Mahmoud Abbas to win Sunday's Palestinian presidential election and is ready to open talks with him, offering to free Palestinian prisoners if Abbas cracks down on Palestinian rocket attacks, senior Israeli officials said.
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It has been almost a month since Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat&#39;s death and, as many had hoped, there are already some hopeful signs that his passing could lead to renewed peace initiatives between Israel and the Palestinians.
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RAMALLAH, West Bank  -- PLO chief Mahmud Abbas, who has emerged as the most likely winner of January&#39;s Palestinian election to succeed Yasser Arafat, is a polished and moderate politician more admired abroad than at home.
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Prominent Palestinian figures appealed on Sunday for an end to violence, adding weight to the election campaign of moderate Mahmoud Abbas to succeed Yasser Arafat and launch peace talks with Israel.
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Mahmoud Abbas is a confident man, certain of a landslide victory on January 9 in the Palestinian Authority&#39;s presidential elections.
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This weekend's election to replace Yasser Arafat has the potential to usher in the Arab world's first genuine democracy with a peaceful transfer of power that will augur well for the dream of a Palestinian state. The new Palestinian president &#151; widely expected to be Mahmoud Abbas &#151; doesn't have an easy job ahead of him.
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NABLUS, West Bank  - Just two days after branding  Israel the "Zionist enemy," Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas  pledged on Thursday to pursue peace talks following the Jan. 9  presidential election he is widely expected to win.
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Palestinian voters appeared to have overwhelmingly elected Mahmoud Abbas as their leader Sunday in balloting many Palestinians and international officials considered a milestone in efforts to bring democracy to the Arab world and a potential opening for reviving peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
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Interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, the front-runner in upcoming presidential elections, received a loud ovation from thousands of supporters at his first public rally Tuesday, generating some excitement for the low-key politician seeking to replace
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The interim Palestinian leader on Wednesday welcomed a Mideast conference proposed by Britain, saying it would be a first step toward reviving stalled peace talks.
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RAMALLAH, West Bank  - Mahmoud Abbas won election  as Palestinian president with more than 60 percent of the vote,  officials said Monday, strengthening his hand to end years of  bloodshed and resume peace talks with Israel.
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Rival Palestinian leaders on Wednesday began open-ended talks in Islam's holy city optimistic that they could reach an agreement to end their bloody street battles and resume the peace process with Israel.
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Interim Palestinian leader and presidential front-runner Mahmoud Abbas gestures as he speaks during a campaign rally in the West Bank town of Jericho, Tuesday Dec. 28, 2004.
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Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas extended his hand in peace Monday, his first gesture toward Israel since his landslide victory in presidential elections.