Originally posted by BP:
exactly. and i think they should be given a chance.



Fair enough, but it seems that some here are either ignoring or being rather dismissive of Hamas' past roles in indiscriminate bombings that have been targeted towards civilians. It's fine and dandy that some form of a Democratic process was enacted, but if the population that took a vote is putting into power a group that willingly and unabashedly associates itself with a means of force that the civilized world has denounced (i.e., terrorism), one has to ask what message are the Palestinians trying to send?

Are they supporting terrorism against Israel or anyone else that stands in their way with this vote, or are they supporting the removal of a corrupt and ineffective regime with one that has helped their plight? Maybe both?

I would hope that the majority of voters were more concerned about getting a crippled organization that was little better than a parasite on the backs of the Palestinians instead of making their own lives that much worse off by agitating Israel with a vote of confidence for Hamas. I also hope that the have someone in their ranks that can let the world know what the Palestianian people were trying to say with this vote...

If you recall, Hamas sees itself as two separate but interlinked organizations; one that is spiritual/political and one that is militant. Although their general goals are the same, they go about them in ENTIRELY different manners. The "claim" by both factions of Hamas is that the leadership is entirely different, though Israel certainly doesn't see it that way when they started bombing the political/spiritual faction's leaders during the last couple of years, as well as having a standing policy on knocking off any Hamas militants they run across...

What bothers me is that no matter what side of Hamas was voted for, their stated goal of seeing the destruction of Israel by any means necessary has NOT been changed. That's one common thread that both groups share...

My fear is that the leadership of Hamas will interpret this vote as a nod by the common Palestinian towards escalating the conflict when it may have been little more than just a massive protest vote against the PLO and their incessant bungling.

Tigers aren't known for changing their stripes, so I have serious doubts about Hamas making any legitimate moves towards peaceful coexistance with the Israelis. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Hamas just got voted in so it's going to be interesting to see which side leads the dance.


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