Gaza/Jerusalem Jan 22(DPA-NT) - On the most basic level Saturday's general elections provided a sweeping and unifying victory for Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat and his policies of peace with Israel. But just under the surface of the Palestinian election euphoria many flaws and problems remained unsolved. For many in the Palestinian areas the huge voter turnout was reminiscent of the 1987 popular uprising against the Israeli occupation and they called it "an intifada of democracy". Though many Israelis and Palestinians agreed that the election was an important milestone in the development of the Palestinian people towards a a state and full peace with Israel, more sober commentators noted that such goals were still distant. "The elections only closed the easy chapter in the peace process," wrote the Ma'ariv daily in its lead editorial. "The real arguments have been postponed to the next stage in the hope that the dynamics of peace making will make a solution easier." Samiha Khalil, Arafat's token oppostion in the presidential election gave a remarkably similar analysis. "The three greatest problems remain: borders Jerusalem and the right of return for refugees." she said. It was no coincidence that almost every canididate put these three thorny issues at the top of their campaign manifesto. These controversies are due to come under discussion in the final status settlements beginning in May this year, with the positions of the tweo sides almost diametrically opposed on every point. Discussions over the permanent border between Israel and a Palestinian state will be equally acrimonious. 150,000 settlers live in the West Bank territories earmarked by the Palestinians for their state. For Israel to evacuate them is at the moment is unthinkable, as is their integration into Palestinian society. Arafat has promised solutions to all these problems in the coming stage of negotiations, and a failure to do so will play into the hands of the radical opposition led by Hamas. And despite his sweeping victory in Saturday's presidential election race results in the constituency elections showed respectable support for independents and Arafat critics. dpa ag /AA1234/211450 Jan 96 nnnn

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