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RAMALLAH, West Bank - Hamas won a huge majority in parliamentary elections as Palestinian voters rejected the longtime rule of the Fatah Party, throwing the future of Mideast peacemaking into question, officials from both major parties said Thursday.
Palestinian leaders huddled to determine what role the Islamic militant group will play in governing the territories. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will ask Hamas to form the next government, with his defeated Fatah Party weighing whether to form a partnership or serve in the opposition.
A Hamas government, without Fatah as a moderating force, would greatly complicate Abbas' efforts to restart peace talks. The Islamic militants, who carried out dozens of suicide bombings and seek Israel's destruction, have said they oppose peace talks and will not disarm. Israel and the United States refuse to deal with Hamas.
It could mean that, but then this was mentioned further down the page:Trajan Octavian Titus said:Just goes to prove what the Israelis have been saying all along, the Palestinians do not want peace they want conflict.
Hamas capitalized on widespread discontent with years of Fatah corruption and ineffectiveness. Much of its campaign focused on internal Palestinian issues, while playing down the conflict with Israel.
Kandahar said:We'll see. It could also turn out to be the best thing to happen for the peace process. Hamas might well moderate some of its views on the destruction of Israel, now that it's been democratically elected. Furthermore, Hamas at least provides someone to negotiate with; Mahmoud Abbas is incompetent.
But I think Kadima's unilateral peace plan is working great. Since the Palestinians haven't been able to behave themselves, Israel has set the terms for peace whether the Palestinians like it or not.
Trajan Octavian Titus said:I say the Israelis build the wall and say to hell with the Palestinians
Trajan Octavian Titus said:I say the Israelis build the wall and say to hell with the Palestinians considering they just elected a terrorist organization who's stated aim is the total destruction of Israel, Bush made it clear today that unless Hamas takes that out of their platform that the U.S. will cut off all Palestinian aid and cease negotiations. What a bunch of fuc/king morons the Palestinians are they had a chance at a state of their own and they elect Hamas who has not only stated their intent to destroy Israel but have rejected the foad map to peace in its entirety including the formation of a Palestinian state, I mean for for Christ's sake!... these people really need to catch a fuc/king clue.
G-Man said:The Israelis have already built the wall, thats part of the problem. The road map is obsolete and has been rejected by both sides - Israel won't give up Jerusalem, has 'land grabbed' areas of Palestine with their wall (areas supposed to be part of Palestine under the road map) and won't allow the millions of refugees to return to their homes. Undoubtedly it would be great for the rest of the world if the Palestines would just stop the fight, give up their homeland to Israel and cramp into a small area in the Gaza strip - but I wouldn't accept that if I was a palestinian and nor would you.
The ruling Fatah party was highly corrupt and seriously incompetent - it was an easy target for change. Unfortunately, the only other real choice in the election was Hamas. But if you want to spread democracy across the middle east..don't be surprised when Islamic party's come to power.
Final results of yesterday's Palestinian legislative elections are still trickling in. But one thing is sure: Yasser Arafat's chickens have come home to roost. After decades of dictatorial and corrupt control by the late Fatah leader and his cohorts, vast numbers of voters in both the West Bank and Gaza have angrily turned their backs on Arafat's heirs and given their support to rival Hamas, the radical Islamic party.
The prime result: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may feel obliged to let Hamas join a coalition government.
Trouble is, Hamas remains the same terrorist party it's always been, a heavily armed, blood-drenched gang that boasts of suicide bombings and doesn't even pretend to want peace with Israel. Its goals are crystal clear: the total annihilation of the Jewish state in favor of an Islamic state throughout the entire Holy Land. Its presence in a Palestinian government is hardly incentive for Israel to follow up on its recent withdrawal from Gaza and move ahead on the U.S.-sponsored road map to Mideast peace. . . .
. . . . The U.S., the European Union, Russia and the United Nations have all declared that "a future Palestinian Authority cabinet should include no member who has not committed to the principles of Israel's right to exist in peace and security and an unequivocal end to violence and terrorism." And two weeks ago, Secretary of State Rice said that "armed groups have no place in the democratic process."
Let's hope they hold firm. Granting any legitimacy to Hamas unless it seriously disarms and changes policy would be total disaster. At the very least it would undermine Palestinian moderates who preach that violence will distance Palestinian statehood, not bring it closer. It could also produce a defeat for Israeli moderates in Israel's upcoming March elections. Then back to square one-minus.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/385822p-327415c.html
GySgt said:History has taught us that once started, religious strife has a tendency to go on and on, to become permanent feuds. Today we see such intractable inter-religious wars between Jews and Muslims in the Middle East, Muslims and Christians in Indonesia, Hindus and Muslims in South Asia and in many other places. Attempts to bring about peace have failed again and again. Always the extremist elements invoking past injustices, imagined or real, will succeed in torpedoing the peace efforts and bringing about another bout of hostility.
Hamas is a militant Islamic group. Israel has stated that it would not negotiate with a Palestinian government that includes members of Hamas. History repeats.....
Trajan Octavian Titus said:Notice the one constant in all those equations?
Trajan Octavian Titus said:Ya the wall is part of the problem. :roll: No the problem is lunatics who think they can gain a political advantage by blowing up themselves along with innocent men, women, and children.
And news flash the Israelis did pull out of the Palestinian territories.
The fact that the Palestinians voted for Hamas has only gone to prove what I have suspected all along that they're all a bunch of terrorists, you know what? Fuc/k the Palestinians, to hell with 'em, if they want to support terrorists and throw a monkey wrench in the peace process well then fine, America should wash our hands of them and let the Israelis do as they wish.
G-Man said:News flash - Israel hasn't pulled out of the Palestine territories - thats why its called the occupied territory. Sure, they gave up a small bit of the Gaza strip but have they recently given up the west bank and Jerusalem? Certainly news to me. This matter has already been covered by world agreement and UN mandates instructing Israel to move back to the 1967 borders - this it refuses to do.
Re: gaining a political advantage by blowing up innocent men,women and children this again looks like history repeating itself. I refer you to the following link :-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/78601.stm
When the land was first being carved up between the Israelis and Arabs the Israel's engaged in terrorism to try and enlarge the area they would receive.
Hamas certainly ain't the ideal choice for a Palestine leadership but Fatah got them no-where and they have decided to vote elsewhere.
cnredd said:So Hamas winning the majority may not be what they originally wanted...Now they will be forced to either act like a legitimate government(which they never thought they were going to be) or face being exposed for the terrorists they are...
There probably isn't one evil dictator on earth who actually believes they are an evil dictator either...oldreliable67 said:Lordy, that would be good, seeing Hamas forced or shamed or however one would describe it, into being a non-terrorist government. Unfortunately, being that one of Hamas' principal goals is to establish an Islamic theocracy, I'm afraid that their definition of 'terrorists' is not the same as ours.
cnredd said:Hamas will lose the "victim" role they so preciously play to the global community, and the nations that aid Palestine(US & Europe) will cease funding...
cnredd said:Hamas will lose the "victim" role they so preciously play to the global community, and the nations that aid Palestine(US & Europe) will cease funding...
You may be correct about Europe...Gardener said:Good angle, but I wonder about this one particular sentence. Considering this enormous Arab propaganda machine at work, and considering the way the EAD influences politics within the EU, do you really think there is anything they could do that would actually cost them European support? I would certainly hope that would be true, but I doubt whether it will.
vergiss said:If Israel ever ends up in an all-out war with these wankstains, I'm definitely enlisting.
On who's side?...:dohvergiss said:If Israel ever ends up in an all-out war with these wankstains, I'm definitely enlisting.
cnredd said:On who's side?...:doh
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