Hamas: In Power and Powerless (by Anthony-George D'Andrea)

Labeled a terrorist organization by the United States State Department, a political group in Palestine known as Hamas, which is an acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement has done what was once thought to be impossible. They won a majority in the parliamentary elections that took place in the month of January in Palestine, meaning that they are now in power in Palestine.

When not in power, Hamas was known as a group that aided the people of Palestine with welfare programs, schools and clinics. Now that Hamas in power, it is hoped that they will maintain such programs and help for the Palestinian people, considering that while under the power of the Fatah faction the poverty rate was at about eighty percent. Other countries, however, do not worry about Hamas helping the people of Palestine; instead they worry about Hamas hurting the possibility of peace in the Middle East.

As mentioned before, Hamas is an acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement. Hamas is known worldwide for failing to recognize the state of Israel and for calling for its destruction. They are also known for having sent suicide bombers into the state of Israel and having performed various other violent acts. It is this same group that won seventy-six out of one-hundred and thirty-two seats in the Palestinian parliament. These believed advocates for violence are now in charge of a nation which for decades has been involved in a plan for eventual peace in the Middle East.

Although Hamas has not denounced their rooted views on Israel, Hamas has indicated that at the very least they will honour the one year cease fire that they had with Israel. This ceasefire was declared on February 8th, 2005, therefore this means only a few days are left until things again become uncertain. Honouring this cease-fire, however, is not sufficient for the comfort of other governments around the world.

Pressure is beginning to be applied on Hamas to surrender and renounce their violent views. United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice suggested that no American aid would be given to Hamas so long as they continue to advocate violence. The effects of this on the Palestinian people could be devastating considering that the United States had given Palestine four hundred million dollars in aid in 2005. There has also been talk from the European Union that if Hamas does not give up its violence, economic sanctions may be put into place.

With such pressure one must wonder if Hamas had more power when they were not holding power in the government. When not in power, members of Hamas were able to be armed, proclaim and express their party's rooted views on Israel in a violent manner and essentially get away with it. However, now that they are in power, they are being asked to disarm their party, and denounce their views and violent ways against Israel, or else Palestine will no longer receive aid from the United States and have the possibility of having economic sanctions placed on them.

It has also been said by the acting Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert that Israel will not deal with a Palestinian government that has Hamas members that are calling for the destruction of Israel. Despite this being said by the Prime Minister of Israel, even if Hamas does not relinquish their beliefs in the destruction of Israel, the chances of them wanting to negotiate with Israel are slim. Therefore Israel itself does not pose a large threat; however, it is the United States and European Union that might be the deciding factor in how Hamas deals with their new power.

This is therefore quite a dilemma for the Hamas party. At this point it does not seem possible for them to stay in power and still maintain their rooted beliefs. Before coming into power they maintained their beliefs and were able to help the Palestinian people. However now that they are in power, they are being asked to surrender their main beliefs in fear of economic sanctions that will cause them great difficulties when trying to help out Palestinians. A senior official of Hamas has recently said that the party would not be ‘blackmailed' into recognizing Israel; however, several observers continue to wonder where the party is going to get its funds if it decides to maintain its ideology.

As of late, many people have questioned the proposed actions of the United States and the European Union, claiming that they are undermining the democratic rights of the Palestinians. Hamas have made their presence known in the past and therefore the Palestinians were aware of what they were voting for in giving Hamas approximately sixty percent of the vote. Regardless of whether the Palestinians who voted for Hamas voted for them because of their views on Israel or because they were simply fed up with the Fatah faction, they exercised their democratic vote and gave Hamas the majority in parliament.

In June 2005, I had written an article for Five Minutes to Midnight about Hamas and how they were gaining popularity in recent polls that were taking place in Palestine. I was firm in stating that if Hamas were to come into power they would hurt the Palestinian people because due to their deeply rooted beliefs, putting an end to the violence that had been ravaging the Middle East would be impossible. Although it is too early to be able to tell what impact Hamas will have on the Palestinian people, it seems as if it will be very difficult for them to act in a non-peaceful manner without paying severe consequences. It appears that if Hamas wants to stay in power in Palestine they will have to give up what Hamas means to them. It is has been thought that those who are in power have the power to do what they wish, while still being responsible to the electorate. Hamas appears to be an exception, as they are in power, but for the moment are powerless.

Sources

"Hamas attacks aid 'blackmail' " The Scotsman. 1 Feb 2006. <http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=159642006>.

"Hamas Wins Local Palestinian Elections in Gaza" Voice of America. 28 Jan 2005. <http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2005-01/2005-01-28-voa18.cfm?>.

"Olmert: Israel won’t negotiate with Hamas" MSNBC. 27 Jan 2006. <http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11009552/>.

" Hamas' past casts shadow over peace plans" CNN. 26 Jan 2006. <http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/01/26/palestinian.election/>.

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