Why not Hamas?

By Salama A Salama

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Hamas won in a free and fair elections. The movement has grown in political strength as a result of purely Palestinian circumstances.

The Palestinians have tried everything. They've had one round of talks after another, one Intifada after another and one agreement after another. And yet they ended up imprisoned in their towns and villages, surrounded by a racist separation wall, corralled by a corrupt regime, prone to the whims and fury of the Israeli occupation and abandoned by the Israeli-biased international community.

Since its victory at the polls Hamas has faced a ferocious campaign of international pressure led by the US, orchestrated by Israel, supported by Europe and condoned by Arab states. The goal of the campaign is to get Hamas to recognise Israel. Hamas has been asked to lay down its arms and endorse agreements reached by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, including the Roadmap.

Israel quickly resumed its targeted assassination of Palestinian leaders. Meanwhile, Washington and the EU threatened to cut off assistance to the Palestinian Authority. The pressure hasn't worked. Hamas has retained resistance as an option though it has offered a long-term truce in which all possibilities remain open. Hamas said it is willing to accept Israel's presence and while refusing to recognise Israel it has not ruled out a political solution.

For the moment Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas faces a difficult choice between two options. One is to allow Hamas to form a Palestinian government, initiate new policies and rethink the entire Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Hamas seems determined to do that. The other option is for Abbas to bend to US and Israeli pressure and embark on concessions which will inevitably promote clashes likely to be disastrous for the entire Palestinian people.

For the time being it seems that the international community is willing to withhold its judgment for three months, during which Hamas and the Palestinian Authority can explore the scope of possible action under the current regional and international circumstances . With Israeli elections due in March the Palestinians have time to review their options.

President Putin's recent invitation to Hamas leaders was an attempt to break the isolation the US and Israel are trying to impose on the movement. Russia has so far been more helpful than Washington. The US has been trying to prevent Hamas from forming a government on the pretext that it is a terrorist group, a biased stand that deliberately overlooks the right of the Palestinian people to defend themselves against occupation.

The Hamas victory offers a new political reality, one that the US will find it hard to ignore without relinquishing its democratic pretences. Besides, Hamas leaders are not that averse to communicating with the Israelis. From what Hamas leaders are saying one senses a willingness to approach problems in a new and flexible manner, which may actually reduce the level of violence and corruption many associate with Fatah's style of leadership.

As for Egypt, it would be wrong for the government to view Hamas's election victory with trepidation just because the Muslim Brotherhood performed so well in Egypt's recent parliamentary elections. The integration of Hamas in the Palestinian political arena is as important as the integration of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Egyptian political arena. Hamas has the right to offer vision and leadership to the people who voted so overwhelmin gly for it.