Comments on: Election Update http://semitism.net/2004/12/26/OLD66/ Pro-Jewish, Pro-Arab, Pro-Peace Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:38:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Steffi http://semitism.net/2004/12/26/OLD66/#comment-595 Steffi Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://semitism.net/2004/12/26/OLD66/#comment-595 Elections<br />I wish I could feel as sanguine as you do about Hamas. It's true that they have gained much of their power and respect among Palestinians because on the village and town level, they've provided social services, medical clinics, schools, etc. But they also have provided the terrorists and suicide bombers whose pictures hang in many a home and public place. I'm sure that there is a political spectrum among the Hamas leaders and followers on the local level, which ranges from those who will be pragmatic in their pursuit of peace to those who will continue to pursue violent means. We can't consistently condemn the (also-democratically-elected) Israeli extreme right wing politicians and their followers while portraying Hamas as a completely trustworthy and benign entity (at least symbolically in the image of a diminutive woman who just wants to do good for her town.) I am delighted with the high voter turnout in the O.T., basically encouraged that the results of the election seem truly to reflect the will of the people on the municipal level, but I'm adopting a "wait and see" attitude as to whether these elections lead to internal reforms and a cessation of violence against Israel. Whether Israel takes any initiatives to end the violence by ceasing its assassinations, arrests, and house demolitions, by closing at least some of the checkpoints, and putting a halt to expansion of the settlements remains to be seen. I'm not too sanguine about that, for sure. But I'm not ready to celebrate a kinder, gentler Hamas quite yet! Other forms of Palestinian resistance, as being urged by Abbas and, I think, Barghouti, will prove more effective, I believe, in the long run, in any case. Elections
I wish I could feel as sanguine as you do about Hamas. It’s true that they have gained much of their power and respect among Palestinians because on the village and town level, they’ve provided social services, medical clinics, schools, etc. But they also have provided the terrorists and suicide bombers whose pictures hang in many a home and public place. I’m sure that there is a political spectrum among the Hamas leaders and followers on the local level, which ranges from those who will be pragmatic in their pursuit of peace to those who will continue to pursue violent means. We can’t consistently condemn the (also-democratically-elected) Israeli extreme right wing politicians and their followers while portraying Hamas as a completely trustworthy and benign entity (at least symbolically in the image of a diminutive woman who just wants to do good for her town.) I am delighted with the high voter turnout in the O.T., basically encouraged that the results of the election seem truly to reflect the will of the people on the municipal level, but I’m adopting a “wait and see” attitude as to whether these elections lead to internal reforms and a cessation of violence against Israel. Whether Israel takes any initiatives to end the violence by ceasing its assassinations, arrests, and house demolitions, by closing at least some of the checkpoints, and putting a halt to expansion of the settlements remains to be seen. I’m not too sanguine about that, for sure. But I’m not ready to celebrate a kinder, gentler Hamas quite yet! Other forms of Palestinian resistance, as being urged by Abbas and, I think, Barghouti, will prove more effective, I believe, in the long run, in any case.

]]> By: Anonymous http://semitism.net/2004/12/26/OLD66/#comment-596 Anonymous Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://semitism.net/2004/12/26/OLD66/#comment-596 Hamas<br /><p>I guess what I'm trying to get at is that not everyone who voted Hamas, or ran on the Hamas ticket, was necessarily embracing all points of Hamas' credo. We tend to see Hamas through the lens of the relationship with Israel, as if all it represented were suicide bombing and opposition to Israel's existence. But to Palestinians it also represents:</p> <ol><li>The religious party.</li><li>The alternative to the entrenched Fatah organization.</li><li>A route to political participation for people in areas where Hamas rather than Fatah is dominant</li><li>An organization on which people depend for assistance in day-to-day survival.</li></ol> <p>If called upon personally to judge Hamas my judgement is (of course) negative. But to understand Palestinian politics, I try to see things, as best I can, from the Palestinian perspective as well as from my own.</p> Andrew Schamess Hamas

I guess what I’m trying to get at is that not everyone who voted Hamas, or ran on the Hamas ticket, was necessarily embracing all points of Hamas’ credo. We tend to see Hamas through the lens of the relationship with Israel, as if all it represented were suicide bombing and opposition to Israel’s existence. But to Palestinians it also represents:

  1. The religious party.
  2. The alternative to the entrenched Fatah organization.
  3. A route to political participation for people in areas where Hamas rather than Fatah is dominant
  4. An organization on which people depend for assistance in day-to-day survival.

If called upon personally to judge Hamas my judgement is (of course) negative. But to understand Palestinian politics, I try to see things, as best I can, from the Palestinian perspective as well as from my own.

Andrew Schamess

]]> By: grot http://semitism.net/2004/12/26/OLD66/#comment-597 grot Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://semitism.net/2004/12/26/OLD66/#comment-597 Nobody every believes politicians anyway<br />I'm sure the percentage of people voting Hamas because they subscribe to every plank of the platform (if you can call it that) is probably the same as, say, Republicans or Democrats - that is, near zero. If we've learned one thing from our own election, it's that people vote on issues that are important to them, not the ones that are important to us. Even if they agree with us. Nobody every believes politicians anyway
I’m sure the percentage of people voting Hamas because they subscribe to every plank of the platform (if you can call it that) is probably the same as, say, Republicans or Democrats - that is, near zero.

If we’ve learned one thing from our own election, it’s that people vote on issues that are important to them, not the ones that are important to us. Even if they agree with us.

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