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Hamas election victory: A call for good governance and respect of Palestinian rights

28 January 2006


Hamas is now challenged with finding ways to respond to the legacy and the multi-facetted public expectations of its victory and new leadership role. The Palestinian vote has correctly been described as a political earthquake or tusnami that poses deep challenges to the Palestinian body politique, including the secular forces of the Palestinian left. The ball, however, is in the court of the international community - diplomats, governments, and civil society - who will have to show whether they are able and willing to hear and engage based on the message of Palestinian voters in the occupied Palestinian Territory. The 25 January elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council were conducted democratically and peacefully with a voter turnout of almost 78%. 

The Hamas victory: democratization – but not what the US expected

Laurie King 28 January 2006


“A time of testing and challenge awaits Hamas. The West — especially the EU — ought to welcome and assist the democratically elected members of the new Palestinian legislative council for the sake of stability in an already volatile region. No matter how it is viewed, Hamas’ victory marks a crucial intersection of new opportunities and persistent dangers, not only for Palestinians or the Middle East as a whole, but also for the US, the EU, and the UN.” EI’s Laurie King-Irani assesses the political landscape in the wake of Hamas’ victory and Ariel Sharon’s demise. 

Herzliya Conference reveals Israeli plans after disengagement

Jonathan Cook 27 January 2006


Acres of analysis will be dedicated over the coming days to the significance of this week’s Palestinain general election and what it heralds for the Middle East conflict. But that spectacle and Hamas’ starring role in it have overshadowed a far more important drama playing out in the wings. Barely anyone has remarked on the unfolding events at the Herzliya Conference, Israel’s most important annual policy-making jamboree. This week Israeli elites converged in Herzliya, to share their thoughts on the country’s central concern. It will matter little whether Hamas or Fatah are heading the Palestinian Authority. Israel made up its mind long ago about how best to protect its interests. 

Preliminary offical results of the Palestinian parliamentary elections

26 January 2006


Dr. Hanna Nasser, chair of the Central Election Commission announced in a press conference in Ramallah the official, but not final results of the parliamentary elections held on January 25th. The results show that Hamas won 76 out of the 132 seats whereas Fatah won 43 and the leftist parties won 9 and 4 for independent candidates. According to Nasser, the results represent only 95 percent of the total votes. The Central Elections Commission indicated that the number of voters reached 1,011,992. The total number of registered voters reached 1,332,396. The voting percentage reached 74.64%. 414 candidates competed for the 16 electoral districts and there were 11 electoral lists with 314 candidates competing nationwide. 

Authors discuss Munich's impact from both sides

John Hayes 23 December 2005


What has the world community done right and wrong? Abunimah: “They’re acting as if there are two equals of equal strength who can voluntarily come to an agreement. That’s not going to happen. One side has overwhelming superiority militarily and economically, and the other side has very few cards in hand. I think the world is putting its finger on the Israeli side of the scale.” What would you like people from the other side to know about your people? Abunimah: “Palestine is not going anywhere. We’re ready to live in peace with Israel on the basis of full equality — not second-class citizenship in the land of their birth. I am inspired by South Africa. Their conflict was three centuries old, but it came to a peace based on human rights, equal rights.” 

Preliminary Assessment of Polling and Vote Count Processes from Monitors

26 January 2006


On Wednesday, 25 January 2006, Palestinians cast their ballots to elect representatives in the Palestinian Legislative Council. These were the second parliamentary elections in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) since the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in 1994. PCHR registered minor violations by candidate and party supporters. The most notable violation was the continuation of campaigning at the entrances and inside polling centers. In addition, private media outlets continued to broadcast campaign messages for candidates and contesting parties, especially for the largest two parties. 

Annan congratulates Palestinian people on peaceful and orderly elections

26 January 2006


United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today congratulated Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian people on the peaceful and orderly conduct of their legislative elections. “The Secretary-General views these elections as an important step toward the achievement of a Palestinian State,” a UN spokesman said in a statement. “He looks forward to the publication of the results of the elections over the coming days and to discussing them with the Quartet.” In Davos, Switzerland, Mr. Annan, responding to press questions about the developments in the Palestinian legislative elections, said that “any group that wishes to participate in the democratic process should ultimately disarm.” 

Hamas Election Victory: A Vote for Clarity

Ali Abunimah 26 January 2006


Hamas’ victory in the Palestinian Authority legislative elections has everyone asking “what next”? The answer, and whether the result should be seen as a good or bad thing, depends very much on who is asking the question. Although a Hamas success was heavily trailed, the scale of the victory has been widely termed a “shock.” Several factors explain the dramatic rise of Hamas, including disillusionment and disgust with the corruption, cynicism and lack of strategy of the Fatah faction which has dominated the Palestinian movement for decades and had arrogantly come to view itself as the natural and indisputable leader. The election result is not entirely surprising, however, and has been foreshadowed by recent events. 

Palestinian Elections: Forcing the West to awake to the voices of the people

Eóin Murray Gaza City 26 January 2006


The cliche of the day was that Wednesday the 25th of January, the second elections of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was a festival of democracy. The Gaza Strip is a dusty stretch of land. But as the day passed and the night wore on we were surprised by the strength of the Hamas showing. Certainly anyone who has ever been to the Gaza Strip and witnessed Israeli human rights violations and the chaos on the streets because of the collapse of law and order is not shocked at a good showing by Hamas. Even more so after yesterday’s elections - now the world awaits the dusty political landscape to settle. Eoin Murray reports, Live from Occupied Palestine, in the Gaza Strip. 

Photostory: Palestinian Elections

25 January 2006


Polls have closed across Gaza and the occupied West Bank and the vote count has begun, after the first Palestinian parliamentary elections in a decade. Election officials say over 70 percent of the more than one million eligible voters turned out despite rain and cold winds to cast their ballots at more than 1,000 polling stations. East Jerusalem witnessed the highest turnout, between 80 to 90 percent, prompting the Central Elections Committee to extend voting until 9 p.m. An 81 percent turnout was registered in the Gaza Strip in comparison to 74 percent in the West Bank. A strong Hamas showing would indicate the movement’s call for change and reform clearly resonated with many voters, who were disappointed with the long-time rule of Fatah.