Hamas celebrates amid sea of green

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"With horns blaring, hundreds of Hamas supporters on Thursday took to the streets in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza to celebrate their party's historic election victory.

Truckloads of supporters waving the party's traditional green flags drove through the Islamist stronghold with some militants firing in the air in celebration.

Youths wearing green bandanas or baseball caps hung out of car windows as they careered along the dirt streets of this impoverished camp, shouting Islamic slogans and making victory signs with their fingers.

Celebrations were more muted in Gaza City itself where partisans of the rival Fatah faction had already been out in force on Wednesday in a premature celebration.

Thousands of Hamas supporters also took part in joyous celebrations in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the political capital of the Palestinian Authority and traditionally a bastion of the previously dominant Fatah movement."


http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=262460&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news/

[Scurrilous]

1. Arabs jubilant at Hamas victory

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"Jubilant Arabs welcomed Hamas' apparent win in Palestinian parliamentary elections and analysts said it could provide a boost for other Islamic militant groups.

"This is a victory to all the region's free people," said Ayyoub Muhanna, a 29-year-old Lebanese who owns a spare parts shop in the southeastern town of Rashaya. "The Palestinians gave their vote to the party that gave of its blood."

In Iran — which is accused by Israel and the United States of supplying Hamas and other Palestinian militants with weapons and funding — state-run radio put the news of Hamas' victory at the top of its afternoon news broadcast, saying the vote showed that Palestinians support resistance against Israel.

"Now the real representatives of the Palestinian people have come to power," said Javad Majidi, a student at Iran's Tehran University."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002763522_webmideastarabs26.html