PA, Hamas Slam US Election "Intervention"
GAZA CITY, December 17, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The Palestinian Authority and the resistance group Hamas slammed on Saturday, December 17, what they called American interventions in the Palestinian elections.
"Elections should remain opened for all parties," Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaina told the Doha-based Al-Jazeera news channel.
"The legislative elections will be held on time and all Palestinian sides have the right to participate. Otherwise, they would not be democratic."
Abu Rudaina called on the international community to convince the Bush administration not to adopt the resolution.
"This does not serve the peace process nor the US efforts to maintain peace in the area."
PA chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the position of the US Congress "is refused lock, stock and barrel."
In a resolution approved on Friday, December 16, by 397 to 17 votes with seven abstentions, the US House of Representatives threatened the PA that it risked losing US financial aid and other support if it allowed Hamas to contest the legislative polls.
A welcoming Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Saturday the PA must prevent Hamas from contesting the elections, scheduled on January 25.
"The participation of Hamas in the elections can put us back 50 years," he told Israel Radio.
US Democracy
"The only democracy allowed by Washington is that which serve its interests," Hamas averred.
Hamas, which scored a resounding victory Friday in local elections in the main West Bank cities, blasted the American resolution.
"This is a flagrant intervention in Palestinian domestic affairs," the resistance group said in a statement, a copy of which was faxed to IslamOnline.net.
It said the resolution reflected the double-standard policy of the Bush administration and debunk its democratization rhetoric.
The statement urged the PA to stand firm against such American interventions and conditional aid.
The resolution warned the PA that all financial aid offered to the Palestinians would be withheld in case Hamas joined the government.
Hamas won in three out of four West Bank cities in a local ballot seen as a bellwether for a January election, official results published Saturday showed.
The group won 13 seats out of 15 in the traditional Fatah stronghold of Nablus.
In the northern West Bank city of Jenin, Hamas won eight seats and Fatah won seven. In al-Bireh, it won nine seats versus four for Fatah.
Hamas's only loss was in Ramallah, the current seat of the Palestinian government, where it won three seats in the 15-seat local council.
"The elections were free, fair and transparent," Jamal al-Shobaki, head of Local Election Commission, told reporters at a news conference announcing the results.
The results illustrated Hamas's grass-roots strength especially at a time when Abbas's ruling Fatah faction is in disarray after a group of popular leaders broke away to form their own faction for the January election.
Hamas's support among Palestinians is partly the result of its corruption-free reputation, charity network and struggle against the Israeli occupation.
Hamas did well in the previous three rounds of the municipal vote and it is expected to make a strong showing in the last phase to be held in early 2006 in Al-Khalil (Hebron) and Gaza City.
"Elections should remain opened for all parties," Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaina told the Doha-based Al-Jazeera news channel.
"The legislative elections will be held on time and all Palestinian sides have the right to participate. Otherwise, they would not be democratic."
Abu Rudaina called on the international community to convince the Bush administration not to adopt the resolution.
"This does not serve the peace process nor the US efforts to maintain peace in the area."
PA chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the position of the US Congress "is refused lock, stock and barrel."
In a resolution approved on Friday, December 16, by 397 to 17 votes with seven abstentions, the US House of Representatives threatened the PA that it risked losing US financial aid and other support if it allowed Hamas to contest the legislative polls.
A welcoming Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Saturday the PA must prevent Hamas from contesting the elections, scheduled on January 25.
"The participation of Hamas in the elections can put us back 50 years," he told Israel Radio.
US Democracy
"The only democracy allowed by Washington is that which serve its interests," Hamas averred.
Hamas, which scored a resounding victory Friday in local elections in the main West Bank cities, blasted the American resolution.
"This is a flagrant intervention in Palestinian domestic affairs," the resistance group said in a statement, a copy of which was faxed to IslamOnline.net.
It said the resolution reflected the double-standard policy of the Bush administration and debunk its democratization rhetoric.
The statement urged the PA to stand firm against such American interventions and conditional aid.
The resolution warned the PA that all financial aid offered to the Palestinians would be withheld in case Hamas joined the government.
Hamas won in three out of four West Bank cities in a local ballot seen as a bellwether for a January election, official results published Saturday showed.
The group won 13 seats out of 15 in the traditional Fatah stronghold of Nablus.
In the northern West Bank city of Jenin, Hamas won eight seats and Fatah won seven. In al-Bireh, it won nine seats versus four for Fatah.
Hamas's only loss was in Ramallah, the current seat of the Palestinian government, where it won three seats in the 15-seat local council.
"The elections were free, fair and transparent," Jamal al-Shobaki, head of Local Election Commission, told reporters at a news conference announcing the results.
The results illustrated Hamas's grass-roots strength especially at a time when Abbas's ruling Fatah faction is in disarray after a group of popular leaders broke away to form their own faction for the January election.
Hamas's support among Palestinians is partly the result of its corruption-free reputation, charity network and struggle against the Israeli occupation.
Hamas did well in the previous three rounds of the municipal vote and it is expected to make a strong showing in the last phase to be held in early 2006 in Al-Khalil (Hebron) and Gaza City.
posted by ltf ha at 10:55 PM
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