Hamas landslide sparks Mideast peace crisis

THE victory of Islamic militant group Hamas in Palestinian parliamentary elections last night triggered a political earthquake that could soon bury any hope for peace talks with Israel.

In Wednesday’s election, Hamas took 76 seats in the 132-seat legislature compared to Fatah’s 43. It gives Hamas the power to shape and possibly even lead the next cabinet.

The landslide took even Hamas officials by surprise. The group’s representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, said: “When we took part in the elections we honestly expected to win but we did not expect to win by so much.”