NABLUS, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah are gearing up for their first contest at the polls since 2006 — a vote for mayors and local councils in 425 communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. [...] the Islamic militant group Hamas seized Gaza, driving out Fatah, while Fatah's leader, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, cracked down on Hamas in the autonomous areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Popular independents are part of the candidate mix, tribal loyalties often trump factional allegiances at the local level and Hamas activists can't run openly in the West Bank for fear of arrest by Israel. [...] the election provides at least an indication of the popularity of Hamas and Fatah, after the foes shunned competitive elections over the past decade. The Western-backed Abbas was elected to a four-year term as president in 2005, while Hamas defeated Fatah in 2006 parliament elections, creating a political stalemate that eventually led to Hamas' Gaza takeover and a West Bank crackdown on the Islamic militants. [...] the rivals have preferred to tighten control over their respective territories, and repeated reconciliation attempts have failed. Over the years, dozens of Hamas officials, including legislators and mayors elected in 2005, have spent time in Israeli and Palestinian prisons.