Don't Be So Surprised

"Hamas Captures Landslide Parliamentary Win"

Why is everyone so surprised? What did everyone expect? The people of Palestine have been treated poorly for generations, by the international community, Israel, even their own leadership. Now that the people of Palestine have been given the opportunity to voice their opinion through their own vote, did you think they would choose to vote for people that would continue to go along with their poor treatment?

We are at a crossroads. This is a very important time in history. What will happen next? A unique opportunity is in front of the leaders of the world. This vote is a demand by the Palestinians to be taken seriously in the international arena. No matter what governments are saying "we refuse to deal with governments that support terror" they are going to have to if any Middle East peace is desired. Israel's acting president refuses to have any negotiations with a Palestinian government controlled by Hamas. This is truly a mistake. The Palestinians are in a position where they almost have to negotiate for successful peace. Although Hamas has stood on a platform that includes the elimination of the Israeli state, how can they legitimately push for this end? They have not been above the genocide of the Jewish population. But now, as a ruling party in a government that wants to be viewed as legitimate, they cannot pursue this policy. Compromise must be made.

The United States has also been backed into a corner. The US has stood on a platform of not negotiating with terrorists. In order to see any progress in the Palestine / Israeli situation the United States must work with the Hamas led Palestnian government. Remember, these elections were the result of US driven policy of promoting democracy in the Middle East, that was also supported by Israel.

The Palestinians, many of whom, including the members of the new government, were surprised by the huge margin of victory, now have a huge responsibility. They have been entrusted by their people to bring positive changes to their conditions. Positive changes are not increases in terrorism, but increases in peace and negotiations. Hamas probably was looking to win seat in a new government in Palestine that expected to be run by Fateh in order to be able to pressure government to look out for the interests of Palestinians. Now they have the task of fostering those negotiations, not preventing them. The people of Palestine want peace, just like anyone else.

This victory by Hamas should be viewed as a positive event. If change is truly what the people of the world want, this is the time. Welcome the Palestinians. Grant them equal respect in the world, not as second class citizens of the Middle East. If the new government of Palestine is welcomed it is likely that they will respond positively. They will sit at the table of negotiations with dignity and the respect of other world leaders. If the new government is shunned, they will be more likely to increase violence. Were do we want this to go? Only time will tell if this will turn out positively or not, but it has the potential to go both ways. If things do not go well, we are in for a lot more problems - any problem that arises over this in Palestine will spill over into problems with other Arab states.

Remember, terrorism is war by other means. It is the tool used by people without political power. Hamas now political power. I see no choice but for it to become legitimate.