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New Leaders for Palestinians

Palestinians voted for new parliament members last week. The election result was a shock to leaders in the United States, in Israel and elsewhere around the world.

Members of the Hamas Party, which has called for the destruction of Israel, won 76 of the 132 parliament seats. Seeing the rise to power of a group that has used terrorism in its battle over land with Israel worried world leaders.

President George W. Bush has strongly supported bringing democracy, including free elections, to the Middle East. However, U.S. efforts to help end the long battle between Israel and Palestinians seemed threatened by this election.

"If your platform is the destruction of Israel, it means you're not a partner in peace, and we're interested in peace," Bush said. "People must renounce that part of their platform."

The Palestinian Fatah party had ruled for 40 years. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas took over the party last year. But Palestinians say the Fatah government is corrupt. Hamas has never run a government before, but Palestinians clearly wanted a change. Even some Palestinians, however, are nervous about what policies the new leaders will take.

"Hamas promises reform," said lawmaker Hanan Ashrawi. "I would like to see reform. But what worries me are things like legislation on education, culture, social welfare, the ramifications for peace in the future."

Hamas leaders point out that they have kept up a year-long truce with Israel. They claim their goal is to improve the lives of Palestinians, not to begin a new phase of violence against Israel. "We will not let our position adversely affect the daily life of our people," said one Hamas leader, Osama Hamdan.

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