From The Australian: Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent January 27, 2006 ...
HAMAS, the militant Islamic group bent on the destruction of Israel, will be asked to form the next Palestinian government after a landmark election win that cast grave doubt over the future of the stalled peace process.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will ask Hamas, which spearheaded a five-year suicide bombing blitz, to form a new cabinet, and Fatah will go into opposition, ending the 30-year reign of the party founded by Yasser Arafat.
The head of Hamas in Gaza, Mahmoud Zahar, had flagged asking Fatah to join a government of national unity, before floating for the first time last night the signing of an accord that would enable a Hamas government to deal with Israel on an administrative basis, without having to amend the movement's charter to formally recognise the existence of the Jewish state.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat announced Fatah's move to the opposition after a meeting with Mr Abbas, who last night accepted Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei's resignation.
"Hamas will be asked to form the new government," he said. "We in Fatah will not join them. We will be a loyal opposition and rebuild the party."
Mr Qurei's resignation came after officials from Hamas and Fatah agreed that Hamas had won a majority of seats in the 132-seat parliament. Hamas were claiming up to 80 seats last night.
Palestinian election officials added to the sense of drama by delaying the release of official results until early today.
In what amounted to a claim of victory, senior Hamas official Ismael Haneya said: "We will negotiate with Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) and Fatah for political partnership.
"All the American and Zionist pressure didn't affect the voters. Whenever Hamas and the Palestinian resistance are under pressure, more people vote for us. "Israel and the US voted against Hamas while the people voted for us. The international community and regional countries should respect the will of the Palestinian people. We will carefully deal with the international community."
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reiterated her administration's stance of refusing to deal with Hamas, which it labels a terrorist group, until it lays down its arms and changes its mandate that calls for Israel's destruction. "In addition to the fact that the United States won't change its policies towards Hamas, the practical problem is that the (current) Palestinian leadership in the road map is committed to a renunciation of violence, committed to dismantling terrorist organisations," said Dr Rice.
Hamas's strong showing now stamps it as a dominant player in Middle East politics and potentially shelves the US-sponsored road map for peace that Fatah had pledged to reactivate.
However, it raises the prospect of the Palestinian Authority losing millions of dollars in funding from the EU and US for salary payments to its vastly overblown public sector. Veteran Israeli statesman Shimon Peres said these funds would cease flowing if Hamas did not change its charter calling for Israel to be wiped off the map.
Israel, which gravely fears the rise in influence of Islamists on its doorstep, called last night for an international dialogue to ensure the tortured peace process was not abandoned. Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned: "Israel cannot allow Hamas to become part of the Palestinian Authority in its current form."
Hamas has said its priorities were sorting out rampant corruption that has plagued the delivery of basic services in the Palestinian territories, not finding peace with its mortal enemy. It also aims to impose a form of Islamic sharia law throughout Gaza and the West Bank.
Mr Zahar has shown signs of softening his uncompromising stance towards the Jewish state by flagging discussions on specific issues brokered by third-party states.
Mr Abbas hailed the conduct of the elections last night and said Fatah would respect the democratic voice of the 1.1million Palestinians who voted in Wednesday's poll.
"The elections were transparent and fair and all the parties should respect the results," he said in a statement. The head of Hamas in Gaza, Mahmoud Zahar, had flagged asking Fatah to join a government of national unity, before floating for the first time last night the signing of an accord that would enable a Hamas government to deal with Israel on an administrative basis, without having to amend the movement's charter to formally recognise the existence of the Jewish state.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat announced Fatah's move to the opposition after a meeting with Mr Abbas, who last night accepted Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei's resignation.
"Hamas will be asked to form the new government," he said. "We in Fatah will not join them. We will be a loyal opposition and rebuild the party."
Mr Qurei's resignation came after officials from Hamas and Fatah agreed that Hamas had won a majority of seats in the 132-seat parliament. Hamas were claiming up to 80 seats last night.
Palestinian election officials added to the sense of drama by delaying the release of official results until early today.
In what amounted to a claim of victory, senior Hamas official Ismael Haneya said: "We will negotiate with Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) and Fatah for political partnership.
"All the American and Zionist pressure didn't affect the voters. Whenever Hamas and the Palestinian resistance are under pressure, more people vote for us. "Israel and the US voted against Hamas while the people voted for us. The international community and regional countries should respect the will of the Palestinian people. We will carefully deal with the international community."
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reiterated her administration's stance of refusing to deal with Hamas, which it labels a terrorist group, until it lays down its arms and changes its mandate that calls for Israel's destruction. "In addition to the fact that the United States won't change its policies towards Hamas, the practical problem is that the (current) Palestinian leadership in the road map is committed to a renunciation of violence, committed to dismantling terrorist organisations," said Dr Rice.
Hamas's strong showing now stamps it as a dominant player in Middle East politics and potentially shelves the US-sponsored road map for peace that Fatah had pledged to reactivate.
However, it raises the prospect of the Palestinian Authority losing millions of dollars in funding from the EU and US for salary payments to its vastly overblown public sector. Veteran Israeli statesman Shimon Peres said these funds would cease flowing if Hamas did not change its charter calling for Israel to be wiped off the map.
Israel, which gravely fears the rise in influence of Islamists on its doorstep, called last night for an international dialogue to ensure the tortured peace process was not abandoned.
Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned: "Israel cannot allow Hamas to become part of the Palestinian Authority in its current form." ...
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