Hamas wins Palestinian election
Discussion
Looks like the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is going to get even worse.
BBC said:
Palestinian PM quits after poll
Hamas' strong showing has caused consternation in Israel and the US
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei has resigned, saying Hamas must form the next government following the parliamentary elections.
It comes as the militant Islamic group appeared to be heading for a shock win.
With counting still under way, officials from the ruling Fatah party said Hamas had won a majority. Official results are due at 1900 (1700 GMT).
Israel, the US and the EU consider Hamas a terrorist group and have said they do not want to deal with it.
Mr Qurei has gone to see Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to hand in his formal resignation.
Hours before official results were due to be released, Fatah officials privately admitted that Hamas had won.
Hamas claimed it had won at least 70 seats in the 132-member parliament.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Jerusalem says there is no doubt that the Hamas showing has transformed the Palestinian political arena.
For decades, Fatah - the party founded by the late Yasser Arafat - has totally dominated electoral politics, but that time is over, he says.
Hamas is also now a major power and it will enter parliament still committed to its armed confrontation with Israel, our correspondent adds.
With victory looming, senior Hamas official Ismail Haniya said the group would discuss political partnership with Fatah.
"This issue is going to be one of our priorities in the near future," the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying.
Another Hamas official, Mushir al-Masri, warned though that Hamas would not hold peace talks with Israel.
"Negotiations with Israel is not on our agenda," he said.
"Recognising Israel is not on the agenda either now."
The likelihood of a resounding victory of Hamas - which is committed to the destruction of Israel - sent shockwaves though the Jewish state.
Speaking on the night of the election, acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel could not deal with a Palestinian Authority which included Hamas.
"Israel can't accept a situation in which Hamas, in its present form as a terror group calling for the destruction of Israel, will be part of the Palestinian Authority without disarming," Mr Olmert's office reported him as saying.
"I won't hold negotiations with a government that does not stick to its most basic obligation of fighting terror."
US President George Bush also warned on Wednesday that Washington could not sanction a government led by Hamas in its present form.
"A political party, in order to be viable, is one that professes peace, in my judgment, in order that it will keep the peace," Mr Bush told the Wall Street Journal.
The European Union - the biggest provider of aid to the Palestinian Authority - said it would work with any Palestinian government which renounced violence.
"We are happy to work with any government if that government is prepared to work by peaceful means," said European External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
I wonder how the USA will respond... After all they bang on about democrasing the region...
HAmas now legitamate, democratically...
Small oversight by us, ie majority of christians ethic country in usa elect a certain type of gov.
Majority muslim population, elect a certain muslim style of gov... more fundamentalist the country ( and that includes the USA) you get a more fundamentalist, DEMOCRATICALLY elected gov.
B
HAmas now legitamate, democratically...
Small oversight by us, ie majority of christians ethic country in usa elect a certain type of gov.
Majority muslim population, elect a certain muslim style of gov... more fundamentalist the country ( and that includes the USA) you get a more fundamentalist, DEMOCRATICALLY elected gov.
B
Jaglover said:
Looks like the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is going to get even worse.
doesn't hammas now have a looming problem?
i mean, they run around causing all sorts of problems, they do their acts of terrorism, plot to kill etc etc. but now they've won an election they have to concentrate in more mundane things to do with actually running a country.
its all very well sending off suicide bombers - but you also need to sort out garbage collection, hospitals, education and all these other mundane things. And if they fail to run Palestine properly they'll be history next time round. I would think that people love the rhetoric they provide, but if basic services start to suffer under their rule - people may have a much shorter fuse.
tinman0 said:
Looks like the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is going to get even worse.
doesn't hammas now have a looming problem?
i mean, they run around causing all sorts of problems, they do their acts of terrorism, plot to kill etc etc. but now they've won an election they have to concentrate in more mundane things to do with actually running a country.
its all very well sending off suicide bombers - but you also need to sort out garbage collection, hospitals, education and all these other mundane things. And if they fail to run Palestine properly they'll be history next time round. I would think that people love the rhetoric they provide, but if basic services start to suffer under their rule - people may have a much shorter fuse.
I have a feeling that the Palesitinians didn't majority vote them for their ability to run basic services, these people have endured worse than not having their garbage collected, lack of decent medical facilites, etc. Where things do not make apparent sense, you can be sure there is an Agenda that you're not aware of...
...yet.
scorp said:
Hamas do a lot of good community work apparently. As the saying goes, one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.
maybe ... but they do not recognise the existence of Israel ,have publically declared they will not discuss any peace process with Israel, and ( I think) have said they want Israel wiped off the map.
So you have a democratically elected Govt. who isn't interested in peace with its neighbour ..... bit of a problem for the EU , Israel the USA, and regional stability.
alfaman said:
maybe ... but they do not recognise the existence of Israel ,have publically declared they will not discuss any peace process with Israel, and ( I think) have said they want Israel wiped off the map.
So you have a democratically elected Govt. who isn't interested in peace with its neighbour ..... bit of a problem for the EU , Israel the USA, and regional stability.
How do you suggest we force the palestinians to come round to "the wests" way of thinking then? They've clearly shown the audicity to make up their own minds, perhaps we should bomb them some more?
scorp said:
How do you suggest we force the palestinians to come round to "the wests" way of thinking then? They've clearly shown the audicity to make up their own minds, perhaps we should bomb them some more?
Perhaps it merely shows that Sharon's policy of unilateral withdrawels and physical seperation was the right one. You cannot make peace with people who seek only to destroy you.
scorp said:
maybe ... but they do not recognise the existence of Israel ,have publically declared they will not discuss any peace process with Israel, and ( I think) have said they want Israel wiped off the map.
So you have a democratically elected Govt. who isn't interested in peace with its neighbour ..... bit of a problem for the EU , Israel the USA, and regional stability.
How do you suggest we force the palestinians to come round to "the wests" way of thinking then? They've clearly shown the audicity to make up their own minds, perhaps we should bomb them some more?
No. but the sad thing is there will be more bombs. More innocents will suffer. The "peace process" such as it is must now be in jepardy. Hamas does not recognise Israel and will not negotiate. Either there is to be a change of direction within Hamas (a la IRA) or we're looking at a potential meltdown.
The people voted for them though, so presumably they thought of this before posting their ballot papers?
When Christ said "suffer the little children" I don't think this is quite what he intended.
Andy
scorp said:
maybe ... but they do not recognise the existence of Israel ,have publically declared they will not discuss any peace process with Israel, and ( I think) have said they want Israel wiped off the map.
So you have a democratically elected Govt. who isn't interested in peace with its neighbour ..... bit of a problem for the EU , Israel the USA, and regional stability.
How do you suggest we force the palestinians to come round to "the wests" way of thinking then? They've clearly shown the audicity to make up their own minds, perhaps we should bomb them some more?
I would think most if not all of the aid from the EU will now stop ..... as basically the EU will not sanction aid to terrorist states ( even if elected ) ... that may encourage Hamas to moderate their rather extreme stance.
What worries me is that this could have a profound impact on the israeli elections.
Faced by a palastinian government that not only doesnt want to negotiate but doesnt even recognise their state, they may be driven into Netanyahu's arms. If that happens then I fear the violence will only escalate further
Faced by a palastinian government that not only doesnt want to negotiate but doesnt even recognise their state, they may be driven into Netanyahu's arms. If that happens then I fear the violence will only escalate further
scorp said:
Hamas do a lot of good community work apparently. As the saying goes, one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.
That'll be the schools they build where they teach 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 year olds how to use automatic machine guns and hate Israeli's and Jews.
By 11 they are already considered old enough to strap a bomb to themselves and become a martyr.
s 8 grn said:
Hamas do a lot of good community work apparently. As the saying goes, one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.
That'll be the schools they build where they teach 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 year olds how to use automatic machine guns and hate Israeli's and Jews.
By 11 they are already considered old enough to strap a bomb to themselves and become a martyr.
I didnt say i was an expert on the subject, evidently you aren't either.
scorp said:
Hamas do a lot of good community work apparently. As the saying goes, one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.
That'll be the schools they build where they teach 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 year olds how to use automatic machine guns and hate Israeli's and Jews.
By 11 they are already considered old enough to strap a bomb to themselves and become a martyr.
I didnt say i was an expert on the subject, evidently you aren't either.
I beg to differ.
And if it came across as a dig then apologies - it wasn't intended but the fact still remains - that is what they do , and what they do best.
s 8 grn said:
Hamas do a lot of good community work apparently. As the saying goes, one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.
That'll be the schools they build where they teach 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 year olds how to use automatic machine guns and hate Israeli's and Jews.
By 11 they are already considered old enough to strap a bomb to themselves and become a martyr.
I didnt say i was an expert on the subject, evidently you aren't either.
I beg to differ.
And if it came across as a dig then apologies - it wasn't intended but the fact still remains - that is what they do , and what they do best.
Maybe the palestinians should learn how to shoot children, bulldoze homes, oppress people and steal land like the Isrealis.
that is what they do, and what they do best.
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