Making sense of Hamas election victory
Bhumika Ghimire
February 21, 2006
Hamas, founded in 1988 as a rival to PLO was supported by the Mossad for some time. The Israeli spy agency wanting to weaken the Palestinian movement headed by Arafat saw new organization as a possible weapon against the popular PLO. With the strong anti-Semitic stands and violence against Israeli citizens, Hamas quickly spiraled out of control for Mossad. Assassination of Sheikh Yassin and his successor by Israel shows that they are no longer friends with benefits. Israel now wants Hamas gone, and the big election win of the former friend shows that the Palestinian people don’t want that to happen. So what does this mean for Israel, Palestine and peace process?
Hamas’ election win came as a surprise to many but the Palestinian people seem to know what was coming. They had voted for Hamas, tired of corrupt PLO administration they had voted for change. All these years after the Oslo accord the Palestinian territory has seen no development. There are no jobs, no proper health facility and very little opportunity for good education. Crossing into Israel for job has been made almost impossible by both sides. Palestinian authority has not pursued actively the right of its people to find a job and support their family, and Israel with fear of violence does not want anyone in. So who is suffering? Not the high ranking officials of PLO or the Fatah movement, it the Palestinian people. Young people without any opportunity for peaceful life, children being introduced to violence before they set foot in school. Why the world community has missed this reality of life in Palestine? Why are we only looking at election victory of Hamas, why not look at the reasons people made this decision?
After the Oslo accord the PLO tried to replace the social services run by Hamas by its own, but did not succeed. The corruption in the organization has spread far and wide; financial aid by the foreign governments was squandered. Meanwhile Hamas, promising a strong government and help for the poor quickly gained popularity and mass support, which grew after the assignation of Sheikh Yassin and his successor. Hamas’ popularity grew among the people while the Fatah movement started loosing ground. People who were fed up with corruption, hoping that Hamas will give them stable government chose to forget that same Hamas is responsible of killing hundred of Israelis. They wanted good government first, not peace with Israel .I don’t think we can blame them for making this choice.
United States and other donor nation while giving millions of dollars to Palestinian Authority (PA) never asked them show how the money was spent. They never held the PA accountable, PA was not expected to serve its people or provide corruption free government. They were there just to keep the people of Palestine confused and hungry. So that they were continue to be without a nation and thirst for their rights. It is the USA and the world community who helped Hamas win election. It is our inability to hold the PA accountable that this terrorist organization is now going to lead Palestine.
The future of peace process with Israel seems bleak, unless Hamas renounces violence and drops its ant-Semitic stand. But looking at history it is unlikely to happen. The whole world is now treating Hamas victory as something of a catastrophe, they don’t want to deal with it, and they don’t to hear about it. They just want it gone. This is typical of today’s’ world to expect anything uncomfortable situation to just vanish, for example genocide in Darfur or mass killings in Nepal. So what is there for Hamas to change itself if the world is not ready to accept it? They could decide that it is better for them to remain as they are; they have their people behind them.
About future of Israel Palestine relation, it seems dull too. If there is no peace process how can relation prosper? If Hamas continues to kill Israelis, Israel would do the same against Palestinian and the cycle to violence and hate continues. The tremendous human tragedy in Israel and Palestine continues as we argue weather to accept a democratically elected government.
Hamas’ election win came as a surprise to many but the Palestinian people seem to know what was coming. They had voted for Hamas, tired of corrupt PLO administration they had voted for change. All these years after the Oslo accord the Palestinian territory has seen no development. There are no jobs, no proper health facility and very little opportunity for good education. Crossing into Israel for job has been made almost impossible by both sides. Palestinian authority has not pursued actively the right of its people to find a job and support their family, and Israel with fear of violence does not want anyone in. So who is suffering? Not the high ranking officials of PLO or the Fatah movement, it the Palestinian people. Young people without any opportunity for peaceful life, children being introduced to violence before they set foot in school. Why the world community has missed this reality of life in Palestine? Why are we only looking at election victory of Hamas, why not look at the reasons people made this decision?
After the Oslo accord the PLO tried to replace the social services run by Hamas by its own, but did not succeed. The corruption in the organization has spread far and wide; financial aid by the foreign governments was squandered. Meanwhile Hamas, promising a strong government and help for the poor quickly gained popularity and mass support, which grew after the assignation of Sheikh Yassin and his successor. Hamas’ popularity grew among the people while the Fatah movement started loosing ground. People who were fed up with corruption, hoping that Hamas will give them stable government chose to forget that same Hamas is responsible of killing hundred of Israelis. They wanted good government first, not peace with Israel .I don’t think we can blame them for making this choice.
United States and other donor nation while giving millions of dollars to Palestinian Authority (PA) never asked them show how the money was spent. They never held the PA accountable, PA was not expected to serve its people or provide corruption free government. They were there just to keep the people of Palestine confused and hungry. So that they were continue to be without a nation and thirst for their rights. It is the USA and the world community who helped Hamas win election. It is our inability to hold the PA accountable that this terrorist organization is now going to lead Palestine.
The future of peace process with Israel seems bleak, unless Hamas renounces violence and drops its ant-Semitic stand. But looking at history it is unlikely to happen. The whole world is now treating Hamas victory as something of a catastrophe, they don’t want to deal with it, and they don’t to hear about it. They just want it gone. This is typical of today’s’ world to expect anything uncomfortable situation to just vanish, for example genocide in Darfur or mass killings in Nepal. So what is there for Hamas to change itself if the world is not ready to accept it? They could decide that it is better for them to remain as they are; they have their people behind them.
About future of Israel Palestine relation, it seems dull too. If there is no peace process how can relation prosper? If Hamas continues to kill Israelis, Israel would do the same against Palestinian and the cycle to violence and hate continues. The tremendous human tragedy in Israel and Palestine continues as we argue weather to accept a democratically elected government.
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