GAZA CITY, December 21, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Hamas demanded on Wednesday, December 21, an inquiry into US financial support for some candidates in the January legislative elections, as an opinion poll showed that half of the Israelis favor peace talks with the Palestinian resistance group.

"By accepting to fund the electoral campaign of some candidates, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is flagrantly interfering in Palestinian affairs," Hamas said in a statement, a copy of which was sent to IslamOnline.net.

In a message to Palestinian MP Nabil Amr, the USAID expressed readiness to finance his and other lawmakers' electoral campaigns on condition of maintaining their position against Hamas.

"The message is a brazen attempt to incite people against Hamas," the group charged.

"This opens the door for fueling sedition among the Palestinian people and harming their national unity," it warned.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said on Sunday, December 18, that if Hamas won the elections, it would be "very difficult that help and the money that goes to ... the Palestinian Authority will continue to flow".

In a resolution approved on Friday, December 16, the US House of Representatives threatened the PA that it risked losing US financial aid and other support if it allowed Hamas to contest the legislative polls.

Hamas, which is putting up candidates for parliament for the first time, is expected to do well against President Mahmoud Abbas's fractured Fatah in the January polls.

Meanwhile, An Israeli opinion poll showed that half of the Israelis favor peace talks with Hamas, Reuters reported.

Fifty percent of Israelis polled in mid-December said they would support talks with the resistance group if this was necessary to reach a peace deal.

Other 47 percent said they would oppose such a move, said Yaacov Shamir of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which conducted the poll.

Hamas has won in three out of four West Bank cities in last week's local ballot.

The results illustrated its grass-roots strength especially at a time when Fatah is in disarray after a group of popular leaders broke away to form their own faction for the January election.

"This shows an Israeli awareness of what is going on in the Palestinian public, that Hamas is serious about its intention to play a role in Palestinian politics," Shamir said.

"We cannot really prevent this, and the public understands that."

Hamas leader Mahmmoud Al-Zahar said on November 9 the group was prepared to consider talks with Israel after the polls.

Israel has vowed to disrupt the Palestinian legislative elections if Hamas fielded candidates.

On the ground, Israeli occupation forces killed Wednesday a Hamas local leader in the West Bank city of Jenin.

Zayed Mussa, 28, was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli soldiers in a house in the northern city.

The killing came after eight Palestinian were wounded after Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coasted bullets at young Palestinian stone-throwers in and around the northern city of Nablus.

Mussa's killing brought the overall death toll since the September 2000 start of Al-Aqsa Intifada to 4,914, mostly Palestinians.

Pundits believe continuing Israeli military escalation aims at provoking Hamas into attacking Israeli targets and eventually undermining its participation in the legislative elections.