FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 26, 2006
CONTACT: Lewis Roth - (202) 728-1893

Washington, D.C.-Americans for Peace Now (APN) regrets Hamas' victory in the elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council because of its likely impact on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Pre-election polls indicate that the campaign results can best be attributed to:

• Popular revulsion with ongoing corruption associated with the ruling Fatah party;
• Popular appreciation of Hamas for providing social services that Fatah and the Palestinian Authority failed to deliver;
• Fatah's intra-party conflicts that left multiple Fatah-affiliated candidates competing against a single Hamas candidate in several regional districts;
• Internal chaos and lack of security in the West Bank and Gaza;
• An absence of ongoing peace negotiations with Israel that Fatah could point to as a reason to keep that party in power; and
• A lack of Israeli and U.S. actions to help bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah while they were in power and extending an open hand to negotiations.

In general, Israel should negotiate with anyone who recognizes its right to exist, is willing to talk peace with it, and rejects violence and terrorism. This is currently not the case with Hamas.

In light of Hamas' anticipated dominance of the next Palestinian government, the international community (including the U.S.) must make a concerted effort to pressure Hamas into recognizing Israel's right to exist and to end violence directed against Israel, which could include an extension of the current ceasefire. This should be a precondition for any direct international aid to the new Palestinian government.

At the same time, international aid to non-governmental organizations for humanitarian purposes should continue with appropriate monitoring and supervision to guarantee that the funds are not used for terrorism.

The results of the Palestinian elections are troubling, and the future is uncertain. But it should be noted that Hamas' participation in the elections is perhaps a sign that the group could moderate its behavior in the future. The Palestinian Authority is a creation of the Oslo Accords, meaning that Hamas is perhaps indirectly coming to grips with the reality that there is a need for negotiations with Israel. Indeed, Hamas candidates sent mixed signals during the campaign about their future intentions. In addition, Hamas has generally adhered to the ceasefire over the past year. It is hoped that if Hamas assumes greater responsibility as a governing party, it will further see the need to recognize Israel and abandon hate-based politics in order to provide services to the Palestinian people and keep the Palestinians from international isolation. The U.S. and the rest of the international community should continue to remain engaged in trying to prevent conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and in promoting policies that will allow the two sides to eventually return to negotiations.