Friday, January 27, 2006
Hamas won a clear victory in Wednesday's vote, capturing 76 of the 132 seats.
STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Islamic militant Hamas' landslide victory in Palestinian elections unnerved the world Thursday, darkening prospects for Mideast peace and ending four decades of rule by the corruption-riddled Fatah Party.
The parliamentary victory stunned even Hamas leaders, who mounted a well-organized campaign but have no experience in government. They offered to share power with President Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah chief, who said he may go around the new government to talk peace with Israel.
Underscoring the tensions between the secular Fatah and fundamentalist Hamas, some 3,000 supporters of the militant group marched through Ramallah and raised their party's green flag over the Palestinian parliament. Fatah supporters tried to lower the banner. The two sides fought for about 30 minutes, throwing stones and breaking windows in the building.
Abbas, who was elected last year to a four-year term as president of the Palestinian Authority, has yet to decide how closely to work with a group that built its clout through suicide bombings. But his Fatah Party decided not to join a Hamas government, Fatah legislator Saab Erekat said.
"We will be a loyal opposition and rebuild the party," Erekat said after meeting with Abbas.
Big victory
Hamas won a clear majority in Wednesday's vote, capturing 76 of the 132 seats in parliament, according to official, near-complete results released Thursday. The results of the popular vote were not announced.
Four independent candidates backed by Hamas also won seats. Fatah, which has dominated Palestinian political life since the 1960s but alienated voters because of rampant corruption, got 43 seats. The remaining went to smaller parties.
Palestinians across the Gaza Strip and West Bank greeted the election results with joy, setting off fireworks and firing rifles in the air.
But leaders across the world demanded that Hamas, which is branded a terror group by the U.S. and European Union, renounce violence and recognize Israel.
President Bush said Thursday the United States will not deal with the militant Palestinian group as long as it seeks Israel's destruction.
"If your platform is the destruction of Israel, it means you're not a partner in peace, and we're interested in peace," Bush said in Washington.
Local concerns
In Youngstown, the election results also raised concerns. Alan Kretzer, chairman of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, said in a statement: "We had hoped that the Palestinian people would choose candidates expressing a commitment to nonviolence and to two states living side-by-side in peace. Instead, they have opted for a radical organization that has repeatedly carried out acts of terror against Israelis, Americans and others, and that continues to seek Israel's destruction."
"A Hamas-led government should not be supported unless it renounces the use of terrorism and rejects its charter calling for Israel's destruction," the statement said.
Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas members, and senior Cabinet officials held an emergency meeting to discuss the repercussions of the vote. Acting Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni asked the EU not to deal with a "terror government."
Hamas leaders immediately took to the international -- and even Israeli -- airwaves to send out a moderate message.
"Don't be afraid," Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader, told the BBC.
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