[Lejes Rimul]

Discuss.

[Ashamed Canadian]

This is too mind baffling for me to comprehend. The Palestinian people seem to be quite frankly, dumb people.

[.cnI redruM]

The status quo sucks. We're supposed to be waging a war on terror. Putting Hamas in charge of Palestine shatters the false illusion that these people aren't homicidal maniacs. The sooner the status quo from Oslo is shattered, the sooner Israel can get to work on clobbering Hamas before they continue firing rockets at innocent civilians.

[neodad]

This will get all of the U.S. and European hand wringers off the fence and make them choose between Isreal and the Palestinians. Time to make a choice. Terror or peace.

[American Quilter]

Hamas, which rejected the 1993 Oslo Accords that founded the Palestinian Authority (PA), was ebullient over its mandate, but said it would not change its fundamental stance: It will not disarm its military wing and will not revise its charter calling for Israel's destruction.

Proof positive that the Palestinian people support their leaders' anti-Israel extremism. I will no longer feel any sympathy for the citizens caught up in the fighting--they've asked for it.

[SevenMinusOne]

The Hamas elections shatters nothing (per say).

The reality is the very ideas of freedom and self-worth for individuals throughout the ME is a very new concept. Both have for far too long been denied the citizens of this region of the World

Those two values are our biggest allies in the GWOT (now and goint into the future). That doesn't mean we will always agree with whom is elected....nor does it mean we might not have conflict with those put into office.

But the reality is over time those values of freedom and self-worth will continue to take root and grow....and from that real progress will take place. A new ME will emerge over time. It is already emerging to anyone who doesn't have blinders on.

In the long run those such as Hamas will not be freely elected. Not as the roots of self-worth and the true notion of freedom begin to spread (as they already are without question throughout the streets of Iraq, Stan and other locations in the ME).

The idea isn't to fight and defeat each and everyone of these evil organizations via only the military route. It is also to defeat them among their own people.

The very existence of organizations like Hamas, al Qeade, Saddam and even the Mullah's within Iran....they exist because the values of freedom and self-worth DON'T within their Countries.

[samtheman]

I don't really see the big deal here. It's not like it was Hamas vs. The Christian Democrats.

It was one set of thugish murdering slimeballs against another. The one on the outs was caught with their hand in the till too many times and the thugish murdering slimeball majority of the country demanded new thugish murdering slimeballs as leaders.

Change?

I don't see no freaking change.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

In Jerusalem, former President Jimmy Carter, head of an multinational observer mission for the Palestinian vote, urged the US and Europe not to abandon the PA's financial needs. He said that according to the World Bank's most current figures, the Palestinian government will run out of funds by the end of February, and already faces a $900 million shortfall.

What a moron! I say let them run out of money and let them starve!

This election result proves two things: 1) Democracy can be a two-edged sword, 2) the Palestinians are as stupid as they are vicious. They don't deserve either a state or our taxpayers' dollars.

[b4its2late]

Target richer environment.......

[American in Singapore]

This is a good turn of events. No more p#ssyfooting around.

I fiercely agree with Israel's right to exist, and never cease to be amazed by their courage.

(on a side note, where the hell is Kofi? Is he off taking joy rides in a Mercedes?)

Any article that has 2 paragraphs of Jimmy Carter is automatically suspect.

And, as much as I can get angry at times and wish that "Palestine" would be blown off of the face of the planet (forgive me, but I have an "issue" with children getting blown up on buses and in schools), I can symapthize with the Palestinian people and cut them some slack; damn, if enough brainwashed Americans could almost vote in John F'ing Kerry as President, I think that they could be cut some slack, too.

Thanks for GWB's and Condi's resolve and consistency.

[jpl]

Between this and Iran, the car is rapidly careening downhill and the brakes are out.

This is going to be a very grim year in World War III. We may as well get used to it and brace ourselves for the bad things to come.

[jecIIny]

This is a surprising development. But one that could have unintended long term consequences. I see a couple possible ways this could play out.

1. Hamas sticks to its avowed policy of war with Israel: If this happens then they will get soundly whipped. Hamas is not a serious threat to the survival of Israel and is a military nonentity. Their only weapon is terrorism. One of the things which held Israeli retaliation in check in the past was the quick (and rather disingenuous) statements issued by the PA condemning terrorist attacks (even as they helped facilitate them). With Hamas in power that game won't work anymore. If Hamas tries this method they will quickly loose all international support and find the Palestinian people heavily isolated. Also Israel will be able to carry out far more devastating military reprisals against the PA. Further the Palestinian economy which is already in poor shape could be left in a state weaker than Bangladesh. This might quickly disillusion the Palestinians and get them to remove Hamas from power and repudiate violence once and for all.

2. Hamas as a surprise peace maker: Although I think its unlikely (given their fanatical religious beliefs) it is possible that Hamas could decide either immediately or after a brief period of showing off belligerence for the press and media, to make some overture to Israel. Hamas has something right now that Fatah never had. A massive majority, without the corruption scandals that plagued Fatah, and credibility with the anti-Israeli crowd. In the early 70's President Nixon went to China and restored relations with that country. No Democrat could have done that. It took someone with Nixon's gold standard credentials as an anti-communist to be able to pull that off. Fatah could not make a lasting peace with Israel since they never had the credentials. Hamas could, IF they want to.

[Brit_Guy]

"Discuss."

OK. How about the contreversial (on here) view that democracy is NOT the first thing you should bring to a nation? How about you need time for the rule of law, the separation of powers, an embeded education system and consituational checks and balances to be built into the psyche of a people before you give them the luxury of democracy.

Or is that too imperialist?

We're no doubt also going to hand over Iraq to Shi'ia lunatics because we don't get this point......

Flame away.

[nmh]

Who is really surprised at this?

Sane people shouldn't be.

Oh, George, I don't think your "land for peace" means squat. You just made it easier for them and look like an idiot. There is NO HONOR amongst evil people - WAKE UP GWB!

[familyop]

"...status quo"--fitting language for what's been going on.