Fatah Wins Palestinian Election

Posted on January 25, 2006

Bloomberg reports that the ruling Fatah Party won the largest number of votes in the Palestinian elections. But coming in right behind Fatah is Hamas, which will now be a part of the Legislative Council. Hamas is classified as a terrorist group by the United States.

It may seem shocking to Americans that Hamas is now considered a major political player in mainstream Palestinian elections, but the leadership of Hamas has been working very hard on its image at home. With a huge flow of money coming into the party from other countries, Hamas is able to distribute aid to the poor and sick, which gains them big points with the public. Some of their leaders recently said that talking to Israel isn't out of the question, which would be a major change in position for the group.

The United States is putting pressure on President Mahmoud Abbas to exclude Hamas from the new government, which puts Abbas in a really awkward position. The U.S., along with major European powers, has repeatedly said it won't deal with Hamas unless it disarms and agrees that Israel has a right to exist. Abbas says he wants Hamas to disarm, but he won't use force to make this happen. So for now, everyone is just sitting around wondering if Hamas will morph from being a terrorist group into a peaceful political party. After all, in his day, Yasser Arafat was a notorious terrorist and he founded Fatah. But it seems most unlikely. And if Hamas ever gains control of Palestine, that's probably it for any hope of a peaceful solution to the Israel-Palestine problem.

At the same time, the incapacity of Ariel Sharon has led to uncertainty about what's going to happen in the upcoming Israeli elections. As usual, the Middle East shows no signs of settling down anytime soon.

Update 1-26-05: Update: It looks like the Palestinian exit polls were wrong; Hamas has won the majority of votes in the election. President Bush today praised democracy in Palestine but also noted that is was going to be difficult for Hamas to be a partner in peace negotiations if it is still calling for the destruction of Israel.