Hamas parliamentary candidates arrested

The Israeli military has arrested dozens of Hamas candidates for parliament and local councils as part of its new offensive against the Islamic militant group.

The arrests in Ramallah have prompted charges that Israel is using a weekend truce breach as a cover for trying to crush Hamas before upcoming Palestinian elections.

The arrest sweep – the biggest in three years, with 379 people in custody - came after Israel failed to win international backing for its demand that Hamas be barred from Palestinian parliament elections on January 25.

Israel fears Hamas in government would threaten peace prospects, but letting Hamas contest elections is the cornerstone of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ plan to tame his biggest rival.

The Palestinian Authority believes it will be the main loser in the Israel-Hamas showdown.

The arrests are generating sympathy for Hamas and could further improve its strong electoral prospects; Abbas’ ruling Fatah movement is widely perceived as corrupt, and many Palestinians say they will vote for Hamas to teach Fatah a lesson and get better government services.

On the other hand, if Israel arrests more candidates than Hamas can replace, it might decide to bow out of the election, a step that could lead to the cancellation of the vote and further undermine Abbas’ claim to leadership.

“The Israeli interference is only complicating the situation for the Palestinian Authority,” said Palestinian Planning Minister Ghassan Khatib.

Israel launched its offensive of air strikes, targeted killings and mass arrests – codenamed “Operation Last Rain” – after Hamas fired scores of homemade rockets from Gaza at Israeli border towns over the weekend.

It was the first major rocket barrage after Israel’s pullout from Gaza in mid-September, but caused only minor injuries. Israel said it had to react strongly to make Hamas understand new rules were in place after the pullout and that attacks from Gaza would not be tolerated.

The rocket fire also gave Israel an opportunity to renew a broader campaign against Hamas that had largely been put on hold after Abbas negotiated an informal truce in February, Israeli and Palestinian commentators said.

“This (the rocket fire) was a fatal error,” military commentator Alex Fishman wrote in the Yediot Ahronot daily. “They played directly into the hands of Israel which was just waiting for such an opportunity.”

Even before the weekend violence, the head of Israel’s domestic Shin Bet security service, Yuval Diskin, told reporters the rise of Hamas posed a serious threat to Israel. Diskin was quoted as saying he considered Hamas’ attempt to grab power a “strategic problem” for Israel.

Hamas is pledged to Israel’s destruction, has carried out scores of fatal attacks against Israel and as a partner in an Abbas government could block future peace moves. Its rocket barrage was in response to a blast at a Hamas rally in Gaza that killed 21 people on Friday.

Hamas said the explosion was caused by an Israeli missile, but both Israel and the Palestinian Authority said it was caused by militants mishandling explosives.

Israel arrested 82 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants on Monday night, in addition to 297 militants taken into custody in the previous two days, the military said. Hamas said that among the detainees were dozens of candidates for parliament and local councils, as well as campaign volunteers.

Many were taken from their home, a sign they did not expect arrest. Those with ties to militants tend to stay in hiding or switch apartments and cars.

Israel “is using every possible means to block Hamas and push it aside,” said Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri. “Those arrested are leaders … of the first and second level, with one aim, to weaken Hamas, particularly before the legislative elections.”

Among those rounded up were Hassan Yousef and Mohammed Ghazal, considered leading Hamas parliament candidates in the Ramallah and Nablus districts, respectively. Both are considered relative moderates because they haven’t ruled out negotiations with Israel.

Hamas has not yet published its final list of parliament candidates, and might keep it secret until just before the parliament election to protect them from arrest, members of the group said.

Thirty-five candidates for local councils and campaign volunteers were also seized, said Bashar Diek, a member of the Local Elections Commission. Also taken were sitting council members, such as nine of 11 representatives of the Hamas faction in the West Bank village of Shuqbeh.

The third of four rounds of local elections is to be held on Thursday. Hamas has done well in previous local votes, wresting control of key towns from Fatah. The parliament election will be the most crucial test of Hamas’ political strength.

Israel said it does not differentiate between Hamas gunmen and politicians. “The entire leadership of Hamas is involved in the planning of murderous attacks against as many innocent civilians as possible,” the military said in a statement.

Ranaan Gissin, spokesman to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said: “They can’t be political candidates and at the same time continue to act as terrorists.”

And Sharon adviser Zalman Shoval said Israel is trying to make Abbas understand that peace efforts could be frozen if he brings Hamas into his government.

However, Abbas has resisted disarming Hamas, and instead offered it political participation in exchange for a truce.

Sharon first raised the demand to disqualify Hamas when he met with foreign leaders during UN anniversary celebrations in New York two weeks ago. Sharon said that if the request is ignored, Israel could disrupt the voting, at least in the West Bank, by refusing to ease travel restrictions.

However, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged Israel not to interfere. “I think we have to give the Palestinians some room for the evolution of their political process,” she said recently.

Hamas’ electoral participation highlights a central dilemma in US attempts to promote Mideast democracy: allowing free votes doesn’t necessarily bring friendly results.

“If Israel is allowed to choose Palestinian candidates, then the American vision of democracy in the Arab and Muslim world would be called into question,” said Palestinian journalist Khalid Amayreh.