Friday January 28, 2005

I've Been Thinking:

Elections just took place in Gaza. 10 cities went to the polls.

Palestinians elected Hamas in 8 of their 10 elections. Of the 118 seats up for grabs, Hamas trumped Fatah, Abbas' party. Hamas won 75 seats, Fatah won only 39.

Hamas spokesman Muhri a Masri called it the "choice of Jihad and resistance." "We consider this a victory as the victory of the Palestinian people."

This is a gargantuan move in Palestinian terms. Palestinians embracing Hamas. Gaza was always known to support more radical perspectives while at the same time embracing Hamas. 2/3 of the votes went to an outright terror organization. Conventional wisdom always held that the Palestinians were a moderate people. This may be a foreshadowing of troubling political times.

Abbas has a big job ahead. He must isolate the extremists and convince the masses of the value of moderation and coexistence.

This election shows that Gaza, at least, wants to continue the terror against Israel and the West.