If the Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah aka Hamas hadn’t won such an overwhelming majority at this week’s Palestinian parliamentary elections, we could have been sure that the Palestinian Areas — and any prospects of peace in West Asia — would have been locked in a bitter power struggle. With Hamas winning 76 out of the total 132 seats, however, there is a possibility that the militant Islamic movement may decide to be domesticated by the charms of being in power. The 78 per cent turnout may have warmed the cockles of every democracywalla’s heart, but the result also leaves many nervous. Unlike the defeated Fatah, whose reputation has over the years been mired with corruption, catfights and sheer lack of competence, Hamas is a well-oiled machinery that has gained respect among Palestinians for its discipline and social concerns. Even Israel, appalled to find ‘terrorists’ in power in its backyard, is aware that unlike the Fatah, Hamas does what it says without the usual ‘Palestinian’ dissimulation.
Hamas, for instance, has kept its word on its year-long ceasefire — which it has stated may be extended indefinitely. It had also excluded its usual call for the ‘destruction of the Jewish State’ from its election manifesto. But does that mean the two sides will be now able to sit down and talk? Tel Aviv will baulk at that prospect until Hamas forgoes its ‘armed struggle’. Hamas has to make the transition from being professional revolutionaries to being professional administrators and representatives of the Palestinian people. On its part, Tel Aviv needs to stop playing misty with the Palestinians when it comes to Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories.
It is not an easy situation for two sides who perceive each other as non-negotiable enemies to do business. But business they must do for the sake of the peoples they represent. And sometimes, there’s much more clear talking when two antagonists meet. And that is why the Hamas victory could be a shift in the West Asia peace paradigm in the right direction.