Militants urged to renounce violence and recognise Israel

WORLD leaders, uneasy at the prospect of a Hamas-led Palestinian government, immediately exerted pressure on the Islamic militants to recognise Israel and renounce violence.

That a group listed as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and the United States won seemingly fair-and-square at the ballot box compounded the dilemma for foreign governments.

While they welcomed the smooth running of the Palestinian legislative elections, the militants’ stunning showing also unsettled many and threw Middle East peacemaking into turmoil. “Hamas won,” said Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. “Hamas is surely not a democratic movement. Its ideas are surely not humanistic ideas. What do we do now?”