Implications of Hamas’s victory and the challenges ahead
The Palestinian Information Center

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The Palestinian legislative elections that took place on December 25, 2006, represented a unique democratic example in the Arab world as nearly 77% of those eligible to vote participated in the elections with a high degree of discipline, transparency and honesty as internationally testified with appreciation and admiration.

Despite the occupation conditions, the difficult economic situation, the presence of weapons and the varied electoral agendas, nothing has violated or hindered the democratic process which represented a turning point in the Palestinian history. These elections have promoted the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas” to the top position of power and authority which has always been a product of a weak and defeated Arab reality that submitted to a political ceiling that is dictated by international powers and Zionist occupation.

The result this time has come contrary to what has been plotted. The Palestinian people have said their mind and made their choice in favour of resistance with freedom and honesty despite threats of stopping financial and economic aid. Every one was absolutely astonished with the Palestinian strong will that defied threats and decisively chose the path of resistance. Those who preached democracy were stunned and reacted with a lot of confusion and contradiction.

Those who claimed to support democracy but actually wanted to use it in the service of their orientations and interests which are consistent with the occupation policies and aims could not accept the elections results and the victory of Hamas who “rejects” the so-called peace that is actually based on compromising the Palestinian rights.

Implications of Hamas’s victory in the legislative elections

Due to the interrelation between the Palestine question and Arab and national questions and, because this question has interrelated influence with regional and international circles, the Palestinian elections implications extend deeply into the region and somehow affects international policies being the first Middle East question since the beginning of the twentieth century. In this sense, a number of implications and indications can be drawn from the Palestinian elections as follows:

- The Palestinian people enjoy a high degree of political awareness and maturity that gained the appreciation of observers . This appreciation stems from the fact that about 77% of those eligible to vote have practiced their right to vote in a highly civilized manner despite all effects of occupation and poverty. This indicates the wisdom of these people, their belief in the freedom of opinion and expression and their belief in peaceful, democratic means for rule and transfer of power. On the other hand, this has proven to the whole world that the Palestinian people are aware and able to manage their affairs by themselves in the best way and that they are worthy of independence, freedom and the establishment of their independent Palestinian state.

- Another indication of the Palestinian elections emphasizes that the Palestinian weapon is not a tool of terror as some international politicians claim. It’s not a weapon of chaos either as some Palestinians claim for narrow minded interests. The Palestinian people proved that their weapons are pointed at the occupation forces and not against each other despite all attempts of provocation and distortion. The Palestinian people will not resort to weapons for solving internal differences despite differences in visions and political agendas.

Advancement of the resistance agenda and retreat of political settlement agendas

The victory of Hamas representing the resistance agenda and winning 60% of the legislative council’s seats testifies to the success of resistance supported by the Palestinian people. At the time when other Palestinian parties adopting the “peace process” agenda failed to achieve any political accomplishment or realize any Palestinian demand despite regional and international support and those parties offers of more than a chance for truce, the Palestinian resistance could expel the occupation from Gaza strip and force it to dismantle all of its 22 settlements in Gaza, and dismantle a number of settlements in the north of the West bank with no conditions or concessions. This is considered to be a resounding Palestinian victory at this time of Arab and Islamic weakness. This, in fact, is the first time that the occupation withdraws from a part of the historic land of Palestine marking the beginning of failure of the Zionist colonialist project in the face of the Palestinian resistance.

Everyone now recognizes that the time of retreat and weakness has come to an end and started to take the direction of steadfastness and strengthening the will of the peoples of this region who long for glory and freedom. The victory of Hamas enhances the Arab and Islamic call for ending the Zionist-American domination of this region and restoring the normal effective role of the Arab and Islamic nations among other nations of the world. Not far from Palestine, the Moslem Brotherhood in Egypt, has made a huge progress in the parliamentary elections and won 88 seats despite all attempts of fraud, intimidation and detention. In Lebanon, the people and Lebanese resistance that defeated the Zionist occupation in south Lebanon stand strong and Syria stand as a strong fortress against American and international threats and siege. In Iraq, the American forces are suffering serious blows from the Iraqi resistance. And Iran rejects Washington dictations and Israeli threats. So, the victory of Hamas further supports the resistance option in the region against its enemies and enhances the geopolitics agenda against the occupation in the east and the Arab world at large.

The failure of USA and its allies in taming the peoples of Palestine and the region

Despite all attempts made by Washington threatening the Palestinians with starvation if they chose resistance, and despite that Washington provided financial and media support to other parties who were ready to comply with Washington policies, these policies have greatly failed and the image of USA and its allies was exposed when they rejected the results of the transparent Palestinian elections and refused to recognize the will of the Palestinian people which was embodied through their votes. In other words, USA and its allies accept elections and results only when they meet their interests but reject them and threaten with economic and political siege when such results come against their interests. This is exactly what happened when USA and its allies considered Hamas as a terrorist movement despite Hamas’s national legitimacy. They even threatened to stop economic aid and incited other countries to take a similar position. The reason of this American failure lies in the lack of Washington credibility and its double standards when it comes to the Palestinian cause and the implementation of international legitimacy which is also rejected by Israel who even refuses to implement any political agreement signed with the Fatah lead Palestinian authority. This lack of American credibility is also caused by the atrocities and crimes that the American forces commit against the Iraqi and Afghani people and all people who are opposed to American polices.

Enhancing the freedom of opinion and expression and accepting the results of elections in the Arab region.

There is no doubt that Arab people suffer political inactivity even in countries who adopt elections. In Egypt, for instance, only 25% of the people eligible to vote participated in the national council’s elections, and in Lebanon, only 30% participated in the parliamentary elections. That was due to frustration , the lack of belief in effecting the required change and the recurrence of forgery in elections. The Palestinian elections, which was highly transparent and honest, will give the peoples of the region hope and revive their national responsibility sentiments.

Challenges ahead

Some people liked to call the results of the Palestinian legislative elections a quake or “green tsunami” stressing the strength of the change taking place in the Palestinian arena, the historic turning point in the Palestinian question, the decisive choice of “resistance” by the Palestinian people, entrusting Hamas with shouldering the national responsibility, the failure of the “peaceful settlement” experiment that continued for 15 years, the stalemate that the political negotiations came to and the administrative and financial corruption.

Despite the absolute majority that Hamas gained which entitles it to form a uni-color government, the regional and international conditions indicate the presence of big challenges that could hinder Hamas’s movement and that requires Hamas to deal wisely with such conditions so that it could fulfill its national commitments.

Among the challenges facing Hamas are:

 Financial blackmail and recognition of the occupation. Before the beginning of the Palestinian legislative elections, the USA and the EU threatened to stop all economic support to the Palestinian people and Israel threatened to stop transferring tax money to the Palestinian authority if the Palestinian people were to choose Hamas. After the elections and victory of Hamas, the three mentioned parties stepped up pressure to the extent that the EU parliament, in its session of February 1, 2006, endorsed a policy of linking the provision of economic support to the Palestinian people with the condition of recognizing Israel.

The parties to the quartet committee links its financial aid to Hamas’s agreement to three conditions, namely: recognizing Israel despite that Israel does not recognize the rights of the Palestinian people, recognizing all agreements previously signed with Israel even though Israel itself does not recognize these agreements and finally Hamas’s agreement to disarm despite that Israel is still occupying and practicing all forms of aggression against the Palestinian people. All these threats and conditions are only aimed at forcing Hamas to abandon the agenda according to which it was elected and eventually getting Hamas on board the elusive settlement “train”.

However, Washington and the EU, in addition to Israel might not go far in the economic siege despite repeated threats as such a siege and the complete stoppage of support will hold these parties responsible for the results of such measures which will be deemed as punishing the Palestinian people for their democratic choice. Besides, such measures could lead to the disintegration of the Palestinian authority and its institutions and eventually force all the Palestinian people to adopt comprehensive armed resistance against the occupation and that is definitely not desired by those parties.

Despite all that, Hamas could overcome the potential stoppage of aid through looking for Arab and Islamic alternatives. At the official level, the Arab countries cannot give up supporting the Palestinian people because if the do they will be questioned by their people and their credibility and legitimacy will be in question. Besides, a number of Arab and Islamic countries respect Hamas’s resistance, transparency and honesty. And what enhances the Arab and Islamic support choice is that Hamas has gained legitimacy and that the support will go to the institutions of the Palestinian authority and people and not to Hamas as a movement. At the popular level, popular fundraising can be activated noting that Hamas had a good and successful experience in popular fund raising.

Hamas must work hard to activate Arab and Islamic support, manage financial and public affairs with transparency and honesty and combat corruption. That way, the siege will fail, and the experiment of Hamas in authority will succeed.

Managing the Palestinian Internal Affairs:

A number of local challenges confront Hamas’s rule in the West Bank and Gaza that could hinder the implementation of the movement’s agenda. Following are some of these challenges:

- The Palestinian authority’s presidency still adheres to the political option as the sole strategic option taking into account the importance of the presidency role, the executive authority it represents, the security apparatus it runs and the attempts made during the last session of the outgoing PLC a few days ago to expand the authorities of the president at the expense of the legislative and executive authorities.
- Dealing with the security apparatuses most of which is affiliated to Fatah and that could encourage some parties to incite security sectors against the policies of Hamas government.

 Combating the deep rooted financial and administrative corruption prevailing in the Palestinian authority’s institutions.

Hamas was already aware of these challenges. That is why Hamas adopted a responsible approach through which it assured all that the movement will not dismiss or fire any one in the security apparatuses and that it is interested in combating corruption which is the responsibility of all Palestinians.

Hamas also called upon all factions represented in the legislature to participate in the formation of a national unity government on the basis of the general national interest and to encourage positive participation of all factions.

It is absolutely important that Hamas keeps up high national responsibility spirits as it always has, tolerates and accommodates all political opponents and enhances the dialogue approach with all and particularly with Abu Mazen in the higher interest of national unity.

Hamas must further form a government with a proven qualification and honesty that benefits from the best qualified people and away from political monopoly with a view to combat corruption and gradually effect the necessary reform in the different sectors.

Re-arranging and building of the Palestinian internal house

The task of rearranging the Palestinian house has not been completed yet. With Hamas’s victory in the legislative elections and preparation to form the new government, Hamas’s responsibility becomes heavier in performing a central role in this direction. Hope is attached to Hamas’s role in the activation of the role of Palestinian people in Diaspora knowing that Hamas is the largest movement adhering to the Palestinian people’s right to return to their land and realize the Palestinian dream of liberation.

 

In this respect, the activation of the role of Palestinians in Diaspora must go hand in hand with reform and change inside Palestine thus embodying the Palestinian national situation at its best. The following factors may help towards that end:

- Cairo accord signed in March 2005 by all Palestinian factions which calls for the rebuilding of the PLO on new bases.

- Hamas winning of most legislative council’s seats and its readiness to form the new government will enhance the choice of rebuilding the PLO and encourage Fatah to play a major political role. This would represent a chance for the coming together of all elements of the Palestinian political spectrum at one unifying and democratic platform. Such a situation would gather Palestinians around clear agreed political basis to be employed for serving a general political approach and Palestinian interest with a view to liberating the Palestinian land from occupation.

No doubt that Hamas movement and the Palestinian people are up to a new era that is pregnant with challenges especially following the near unanimous agreement of the Palestinian people on the resistance agenda against a near unanimous American –European agreement of hostility towards the resistance agenda. However, the regional and international repercussions of this stage indicate the beginning of the retreat of the American project in the Arab world in the light of the negative American role in more that one Arab country and in Iraq particularly.

The increasing Russian role in the Middle East and Moscow’s initiative of inviting Hamas to visit Moscow in addition to the invitations extended to Hamas by many Arab, Islamic and foreign countries are indicative of a retreating American-zionist role.

Finally, history examples and the present Palestinian reality have proven that nations who resist and defend their rights are destined to achieve victory. And the withdrawal of Israel form Gaza is a living testimony to the beginning of the victory of the resistant will of the Palestinian people.