My Palestinian election related LTTE

[mrgorth]

In the wake of yesterdays electoral victory for Hamas we will soon be hearing our conservative friends call for things like the levelling of the entire Gaza Strip and West Bank including the inhabitants thereof. Right wing talk show hosts will only be slightly more restrained and lord knows what Pat Robertson will say about this. And while it is easy, and maybe preferable, to be cynical regarding the hopes for peace with an entity that calls for the destruction of Israel, I would like to mention some reasons for hope. While there is genuine hate amongst the Palestinian electorate towards Israel, Hamas was largely elected on an anti-corruption platform. Similarly, Sinn Fein, the poltical wing of the Irish Republican Army, did not start "running for office" until Bobby Sands was elected Member of Parliament in 1980. Next thing you know there a couple cease fires and, in 2005, the Irish Republican Army was disbanded in all but name only.

Hamas has largely observed a cease fire for the past year. They may not officially recognize Israel's right to exist tommorrow or the next day but before we start calling for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians or at the very least the complete disengagement from the democratically elected Palestinian government, maybe with some patience and restraint Hamas can be prodded towards exclusively peaceful and democratic means toward a much moderated end.

Thanks,