Hamas landslide sparks Mideast peace crisis
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.”
The biggest party in parliament can veto the president’s choice of prime minister. Hamas called for immediate talks to discuss a new government and Palestinian officials said President Mahmoud Abbas would ask Hamas to form one.
But Fatah leaders said they wanted no part in such a coalition - a recipe for possible political paralysis.
Mr Mr Abbas stressed that any government would have to follow his own programme to negotiate with Israel. The moderate Fatah leader has said he might resign if he cannot pursue peace.
Hamas is committed to destroying Israel and has carried out 60 suicide bombings there in five years. It aimed its election campaign at public frustration with Fatah’s failure to achieve Palestinian statehood. It also operated a charity network and promised to stamp out corruption.
Israel said it would not talk to any Palestinian government that included Hamas members. Leaders of the EU, the biggest donor to the aid-dependent Palestinian Authority, said Hamas must renounce violence and recognise Israel or risk international isolation.
US President George W Bush said Hamas’s victory showed democracy at work, but he stuck to the view of Hamas as a terrorist group.
