Hamas, looking to break into the political mainstream while still pursuing its armed campaign against Israel, failed to make significant inroads during the municipal elections, which were held in 104 municipalities on Thursday.

Preliminary results, announ-ced Friday by elections chief Jamal Shobaki, showed Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas's Fatah faction had won 51 of the councils while Hamas had gained control in only 13 on an 81-percent turnout.

The results will be a disappointment for Hamas, robbing it of some of the momentum that it had built up during its strong showing in previous rounds of local elections.

Hamas is planning to field candidates in January's legislative elections for the first time despite threats from Israel to hamper the polls in the occupied West Bank if the movement, which does not recognise the Jewish state's right to exist, participates.

Commentators however played down the wider implications of the results of the latest elections, which were largely held in villages, saying local issues and tribal affiliations were the main factor in determining how people voted

"The tribal factor played a primary role. The main factor was the municipal services being promised by different candidates and the political dimension did not really feature in the minds of the electorate," political analyst Zakaria al-Qaq told AFP.

"The results cannot serve as an indicator for the outcome of the legislative elections."