In a disturbing development in the Palestinian Authority elections yesterday, the Islamist terror group Hamas won a majority of seats in the Palestinial Legislative Council, ousting the Fatah party of the late Yasser Arafat. Before the official election results were even in, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Quorie announced that he and the rest of the Palestinian Government would resign, making way for Hamas to "form a new government."
"It's the choice of the people and it should be respected," said Qorie. The official results are expected to be released at noon E.T. today, and different exit polls have had conflicting results, showing anything from a 5-seat minority for Hamas in the legislature to an outright victory, in which they alone would control the house with a majority.
Interim Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has stated that Israel "cannot accept" a situation in which Hamas, a terrorist organization committed to the destruction of Israel, is represented as an official part of the Palestinian Authority. In a statement released by his office, he vowed to "not negotiate with a government that does not meet its most basic obligations -- to fight terrorism." He said that Israel is "prepared to assist the Palestinians and [President] Abu Mazen...but they must meet their commitments."
The European Union, on the other hand, said that it was "prepared to work with any government."
CNN reports that Hamas has "called for the destruction of Israel and carried out numerous terrorists attacks that have killed scores of Israelis over the years," and the State Department lists Hamas as a terrorist group on their official Terror Watch List. We will keep a close eye on this development, as it can mean nothing good for Israel or, by extension, America.
UN Secretary General congratulated the Palestinian people on peaceful elections, which were observed by international representatives, including former President Jimmy Carter.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PALESTINIANS_ELECTION?SITE=MOSPL&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&SECTION=HOME
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/01/26/palestinian.election/index.html
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/26/D8FCEI209.html
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