Posted on 01/26/2006 12:58:59 PM PST by SJackson
Hamas' stunning victory in the Palestinian elections left the Bush Administration in a difficult position this morning, forced to reconcile the fruits of its push for democracy in the Middle East with its goal of peace in the region. In response, the White House argued that the vote was a rejection of the ruling guard Fatah's corruption, rather than the peace process itself. Speaking at a press conference this morning, President Bush called the Hamas win a “wake-up” call for the Fatah leadership. "You see, when you give people the vote, give them the chance to express themselves at the polls and they're unhappy with the status quo, they'll let you know," he said. "The people are demanding honest government. The people want services. They want to be able to raise their children in an environment in which they can get a decent education and they can find health care. And so the elections should open the eyes of the old guard there in the Palestinian territories. I like the competition of ideas. I like people who have to go out and say, vote for me, and here's what I'm going to do. There's something healthy about a system that does that."
Still, for all the celebration of democracy, Bush warned Hamas and sidestepped the question of whether he would be willing to deal with Hamas. "If your platform is the destruction of Israel, it means you're not a partner in peace,” he said. "I made it very clear that the United States does not support political parties that want to destroy our ally, Israel, and that people must renounce that part of their platform. But the government hasn't formed yet. They're beginning to talk about how to form the government."
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
Likely. As you can see this election is being portrayed as a rejection of corruption rather than an embrace for terrorism. Some truth to that, since both parties embrace terrorism, as does the overwhelming majority of the population. There were other parties, including those running on a peace platform. Fatah and Hamas differ only on the corruption issue.
I agree with you. The Brotherhood would have done even better if there was a real open election. If they had a legitmate election like the PLO did the other day, the Ikhwan would send Mubarak packing. This is the fallacy of arab democracy. In most cases, the terrorists wil win. Like they did in Algeirs, like they did in Gaza and Ramallah.
It'll be very interesting to see what happens next. I wonder how this will affect the Israeli elections. I have to think this helps the Likud.
Hamas does have ambitions beyond the destruction of Israel, as well as cells in the US, a major difference from Fatah from an American perspective.
Fatah was only corrupt because they were in power. Give Hamas a few years in power and they'll be just as corruupt.
I think I saw that the "peace" party received all of 2 seats.
Their World view is identical to Al Quida but Hamas may be even more savage.
Except for that they are totally different which is why State and the EU are at this moment formulating excuses for them.
Wake up, World! The goal of Hamas, and a big chunk of the Muslim world, is the destruction of Israel. They may delay it for awhile, but that is their goal.
This might be a good thing. It certainly upsets the power structures. Fatta was really making no effort to form a government, and thus was worse than useless. With Hammass, there can be a change, and perhaps in a couple of years it too will fall, leaving an opening for actual politics.
---Either they're our enemies, or political parties to be brought into the process, but not both depending on the geographical location.---
And it's high time to stop seeing the Pals the way we would like them to be. They are not capable of forming a viable democratic state. Oslo is crap. The roadmap is crap. What in the world is it going to take get a realistic appraisal of this situation out of the politicians?
I pray Israel elects a warrior Chief. They will need him. The vultures are at the door. Frankly, if it were up to me, a quick retaliation against the Hamas leadership would cool their jets. As politicos they will have to crawl out from under their rocks.
And a major difference from Fatah, Hamas operates in the US.
In order for there to be peace, Hamas must be dismantled
President George Bush.
I would expect a purge before anything else happens, frankly. I expect it'll soon be hard to find a standing lamppost in Palestinian territory that doesn't have a "collaborator" swinging at the end of a rope. Terrorists always seem to do their "best" when they're slaughtering fellow Arabs they happen to disagree with.
Sure they are. Fatah was a corruption front distributing goodies to cronies, with little to no real power beyond that. Hamas is an actual acting terrorist organization.
Dealing with Hamas might allow those dealings to have some sort of effect - though that faint hope requires making them independent from Iran.
Repeat
You mean Al Quida, not Fatah.
Although Al Quida likely operates in the US too but no one invites them anywhere nice.
Fatah has been to the White House. And I would bet when Fatah was there so where Hamas sympathizers.
---Hamas does have ambitions beyond the destruction of Israel, as well as cells in the US, a major difference from Fatah from an American perspective.---
Exactly. hamas has ambitions far beyond Israel. They are Islamists. We must resist the appeasers, that will now try to tell us they're really no different from Fatah.
It's been a pipe dream of every administration that I can remember to be the one that "fixes" the Middle East once and for all. The Bush Administration may have done more in that regard than anyone else (certainly more than Clinton, who's idea of fixing the Middle East was using Monica Lewinsky as a humidor while Arafart waited in the Rose Garden), but the problem is way beyond them as well.
No one in the government wants to admit it, but there will be no peace in the Middle East until Israel is allowed to take care of business without us or Europe tying their hands.
No, I meant Fatah. From our perspective they weren't a domestic threat. Hamas and Hizbollah have been known to have cells in the US for several years. I've no doubt al Qaida is here as well, they're all bretheren.
There is a time for every purpose under heaven and now is the time for war. When they sue for peace under our terms, it will be time to show mercy.
Our "friends" the Saudis prefer Hamas.
Hamas will also cozy up to Hezbollah/Iran.
I also don't believe that Hamas will clean up anything. Just a new pocket for Western spare change.
MEMRI.org - Special Dispatch Series -No. 1051: "Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi on Hamas Jerusalem Day Online: 'We are a Nation of Jihad and Martyrdom'; 'The Resistance in Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon Must Go On'; 'We Stand Alongside Our Brothers in Hamas and Islamic Jihad'" (December 18, 2005)
FreeRepublic.com (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3159944,00.html): "ARAB EMIRATES: HAMAS FOUNDER DIES" (SNIPPET: "Halil Quka, one of the founders of Hamas, died at the age of 58 in the United Arab Emirates. In the 1980s Quka was considered one of the Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Gaza, second only to Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. He was banished from Gaza in the mid-1980s.") (October 26, 2005)
WorldNetDaily.com: "HAMAS 'CAPABLE OF U.S. ATTACKS' Terrorism experts warning nation potentially at risk from militants" by Aaron Klein (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "JERUSALEM - Hamas has cells inside the United States that are technically capable of attacking the country, terrorism experts and senior security officials told WorldNetDaily.") (October 16, 2005)
ADNK.com (AKI): Tel Aviv - "MIDDLE EAST: FIRST HAMAS FEMALE BOMB MAKER CAUGHT, SAYS ISRAEL" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The Israeli military has detained a Gaza Strip woman suspected of being the first female bomb-maker employed by the militant Palestinian group Hamas, an Israeli newspaper has reported. Samar Sabih, 22, was sent by Hamas' military wing in the Gaza Strip to the West Bank to train new explosive experts, Tel Aviv daily Haaretz said on Tuesday. Sabih was among a number of suspected militants in recent Israeli military raids, the report said.") (October 11, 2005)
INTELLIGENCE.org.il - INTELLIGENCE AND TERRORISM INFORMATION CENTER at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S.): "'HAMASTAN' - A PALESTINIAN RADICAL ISLAMIST STATE, RULED BY HAMAS" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The socio-political makeup of “Hamastan” (a Palestinian radical Islamist state, ruled by Hamas), as described in interviews granted by Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas figure in the Gaza Strip. An alternative to the Palestinian Authority, the agenda presented by Mahmoud al-Zahar is based on strict enforcement of radical Islamic codes in politics, society, and culture. “Hamastan”, according to Al-Zahar, will become an inseparable part of the global radical Islamic effort spearheaded by the Muslim Brotherhood.") (October 9, 2005)
JIHAD WATCH.org (HAARETZ): "ASSAD SAID TO HAVE GIVEN HAMAS, JIHAD GREEN LIGHT FOR TERRORISM" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Syrian President Bashar Assad earlier this month gave Hamas and Islamic Jihad representatives in Damascus a green light to carry out terror attacks and escalate fighting against Israel, Israel Radio said Wednesday, quoting a high-level Palestinian Authority intelligence dispatch, which was reportedly passed on to Egypt and Israel. Deputy Defense Minister Ze'ev Boim said Wednesday that Israel was aquainted with the dispatch.") (September 28, 2005)
MEMRI.org - Special Dispatch Series - No. 983: "COMMANDER OF HAMAS MILITARY WING WOMEN'S UNIT: 'Our Members Yearn for Martyrdom'" (September 9, 2005) (Read More...)
JNEWSWIRE.com: "HAMAS: CHRISTIAN ZIONISM IS OUR ENEMY" by Jerusalem Newswire Editiorial Staff (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The Hamas terrorist organization has singled out Christian supporters of Israel, putting them on notice that it views their actions as "criminal," making them enemies of the Palestinian Arabs.") (August 22, 2005)
MEMRI.org - Special Dispatch Series - No. 964: "AN INTERVIEW WITH HAMAS LEADER DR. MAHMOUD AL-ZAHAR" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The following are excerpts from an interview with Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar that appeared in Asharq Al-Awsat on August 18, 2005.") (August 19, 2005)
MEMRITV.org - Transcript - Clip No. 731: "HAMAS REPRESENTATIVE IN LEBANON OSAMA HAMDAN: THERE IS A BEGINNING OF EUROPEAN UNDERSTANDING TOWARDS ARMED RESISTANCE" (TRANSCRIPT SNIPPET: "The following are excerpts from an interview with Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV on June 24, 2005") (June 27, 2005)
ARUTZ SHEVA.com: "HAMAS BOMB-MAKER STAR OF SYRIAN PRODUCED TV SERIES A 12-part series on the life of the “father of suicide bombings,” Hamas bomb-maker Yihye Ayyash is set to be aired on the Lebanese-based Hizbullah satellite television station al-Manar." (April 18, 2005)
JIHAD WATCH.org (YNET): "PALESTINIAN GIRL HIDES GUN IN UNDIES" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The soldiers in the Balata refugee camp, a terrorist hotbed, found the gunman inside his house and ordered him to surrender his weapon. He refused, saying he didn't have it. After questioning, they found the man's sister had hidden it her underwear. Troops then arrested the Hamas terrorist. They also found a gun holster and bullets inside the building.") (April 16, 2005) (Read More...)
WorldNetDaily.com: "DOCUMENTS SHOW ARAFAT PAID FOR DISCO BOMBING Sent Thank-You Note to Family of Terrorist Who Killed 21, Injured 120" by Aaron Klein (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The attack on the Dolphinarium was one of the most brutal massacres of the Palestinian intifadah, killing 21 people, mostly teens, on a Friday night in June 2001. More than 120 people were injured in the powerful blast carried out by Hamas terrorist Hassan Khutari.") (September 15, 2004)
IACSP.com: "ABDULLAH ASSAM: THE MAN BEFORE BIN LADEN" by Steve Emerson (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Those who met Azzam were dazzled by his spellbinding oratorical skills, his capabilities as a military strategist, his religious leadership, and his interminable energy. Azzam helped bring about the mobilization of the Muslim Brotherhood movement more than any other leader. Today, the military wing of Hamas in the West Bank is called the Abdellah Azzam Brigades.")
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.