Election Day
FINAL RESULTS 01/26/06:
Hamas, 76 Seats
Fatah, 43 Seats
Other, 13 Seats
Welcome Palestinian Parliamentary Elections 2006! Hamas has been placed as the odds on favorite among the general electorate, though only a week ago, Fatah was set to take up to 42% of the vote with Hamas trailing 35% (Palestinian Center for Policy and Research).
The elections have made me rethink what has been posted here as of late, regarding the question of whether there is something inherent to Western society (multiculturalism, in particular) that breeds religious fanaticism, that is substantially opposed to "the rest"? What if Hamas wins? It's no small wonder how convincing Hamas' campaign has been, under the duress of corruption that has surounded Fatah-- the last election in 1998 being only one example. What real choice did voters have then but to vote for Fatah, who nominated key members of its party in a one-party election? (Not that Hamas was too willing to vindicate Oslo back then. ) So how does it look when the US and Europe offer disapproving nods at a potential Hamas win? What does the Palestinian electorate think about the West when they reject a party that's offered the only social assistance many of them know?
Regarding continuation of the peace process, what is the real world view regarding progress under Fatah rule? While Hamas' position on Israel doesn't leave much for Israel to do but negotiate the terms of their own termination, Fatah hasn't been the hallmark of peace either. Last year alone, nearly twice the amount of suicide bombers were members of Fatah compared to Hamas. Marwan Barghouti is currently serving 5 life sentences in an Israeli prison for his key role in five terrorist actions. Given this, many Palestinians are puzzled by Western reactions, though many vote for Hamas precisely because support seems so ill-given. How do you reconcile these positions?
FINAL RESULTS 01/26/06:
Hamas, 76 Seats
Fatah, 43 Seats
Other, 13 Seats
Welcome Palestinian Parliamentary Elections 2006! Hamas has been placed as the odds on favorite among the general electorate, though only a week ago, Fatah was set to take up to 42% of the vote with Hamas trailing 35% (Palestinian Center for Policy and Research).
The elections have made me rethink what has been posted here as of late, regarding the question of whether there is something inherent to Western society (multiculturalism, in particular) that breeds religious fanaticism, that is substantially opposed to "the rest"? What if Hamas wins? It's no small wonder how convincing Hamas' campaign has been, under the duress of corruption that has surounded Fatah-- the last election in 1998 being only one example. What real choice did voters have then but to vote for Fatah, who nominated key members of its party in a one-party election? (Not that Hamas was too willing to vindicate Oslo back then. ) So how does it look when the US and Europe offer disapproving nods at a potential Hamas win? What does the Palestinian electorate think about the West when they reject a party that's offered the only social assistance many of them know?
Regarding continuation of the peace process, what is the real world view regarding progress under Fatah rule? While Hamas' position on Israel doesn't leave much for Israel to do but negotiate the terms of their own termination, Fatah hasn't been the hallmark of peace either. Last year alone, nearly twice the amount of suicide bombers were members of Fatah compared to Hamas. Marwan Barghouti is currently serving 5 life sentences in an Israeli prison for his key role in five terrorist actions. Given this, many Palestinians are puzzled by Western reactions, though many vote for Hamas precisely because support seems so ill-given. How do you reconcile these positions?
posted by Anonymous @ 10:11 AM
2 Comments:
Well, now we're going to find out!
My only hope is that the West doesn't do something really stupid like urge the overthrow of Hamas and confirm all the rumors the Islamic world has believed since Algeria in 1992. I think the odds on that are actually pretty small, though. Mostly I'm just anxious to see how it turns out.
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