Abbas drops plan to visit Jerusalem

Instead, Abbas campaigned in a West Bank village on the edge of East Jerusalem and told a crowd of thousands that Palestinians need not be daunted by his cancellation. 8216;8216;Today we did not go to Jerusalem, but tomorrow we will be in Jerusalem because Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Palestinian people. Israeli walls and settlements will not prevent us reaching it,8217;8217; he said.

Friday was the last day of campaigning before Sunday8217;s vote which polls show Abbas, a veteran former deputy to Arafat who died in November, will win by a landslide.

Another candidate, Mustafa Barghouthi, campaigned in East Jerusalem on Friday but was briefly detained when he tried to enter a Jerusalem shrine holy to Muslims and Jews without a permit, police said. 8212;Reuters