NABLUS, West Bank, 16 March 2005 — On Saturday Hamas, officially known as the Islamic Resistance Movement, announced its decision to participate in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections scheduled this summer with the intent of “reinforcing Palestinian Unity at this critical time,” and to strengthen Palestinian institutions and to achieve “comprehensive national reform.”
All branches of Hamas inside and outside of the Palestinian territories are in accord with the decision as the best way to end Israeli military occupation. Hamas believes in a violent resistance to the occupation and has conducted numerous bombings against Israel.
A new democratic face of Hamas appeared at a well-organized press conference in Nablus. The representatives presented Hamas as a professional political party that “will deal directly with the public, taking responsibility for the people’s needs as their representative,” as stated by Mohammed Ghazal, a spokesman for Hamas and a professor from An-Najah National University in Nablus.
Ending the occupation remains the central goal of Hamas’ campaign strategy, along with rehabilitating the economy and ending corruption within the PA through stronger law enforcement and judicial reforms, including impartial Council of Judges.
The Palestinian Authority welcomed Hamas’ decision and the dynamic of Palestinian politics is changing rapidly. Ghazal believes the last intifada has brought the goals of Hamas and the PA closer together: The PA is convinced resistance is necessary to end the occupation, and Hamas is convinced they must make the necessary transformations to become a mainstream political party.
Hamas is expected to release an official statement from Cairo, amid scheduled talks between Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian factions, regarding the conditions for a continued cease-fire which will include a halt to Israeli aggression, home demolitions and incursions into Palestinian cities, prisoner release, and the “security barrier” or “racial wall”, as Ghazal called it, remains a volatile issue. He is not optimistic about Israel’s commitment, but Hamas will share their decisions with the PA and “will follow Israeli’s conditions without crossing any red lines.”
Sheikh Hamed Bitawi, a Hamas leader from the West Bank, said the “decision will benefit the Palestinian people.”
After the successful presidential election held on Jan. 9 ushering in Abbas as the successor to the late, Yasser Arafat it has become clear that those who want to retain positions of power within Palestinian politics will have to run for political office.
Hamas has already achieved electoral success, reflecting a desire for change through democracy. In December Hamas won 35 percent of the seats in 26 local elections in the West Bank, and in the local elections held in the Gaza Strip on Jan. 27, Hamas captured 78 of the 118 seats up for grabs.
Dore Gold, a senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, attributes Hamas’ electoral successes to the plethora of social services Hamas offers, but the Palestinian political psychology runs much deeper. They are searching for a viable solution.
One of the top leaders of the Al-Aqsa fighters in Nablus, Fadi Al-Fishi, also plans to run as a Fatah candidate for a seat in the Legislative Council in the coming elections. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, affiliated with Abbas’ Fatah party, is also committed to a violent resistance against occupation. Members of Al-Aqsa are choosing to run as Fatah candidates anticipating Al-Aqsa will be integrated back into Fatah in the future.
Al-Fishi, 28, is the most wanted man in the West Bank for attacks against Israel. He is a veteran fighter missing an arm and lacking the use of two fingers on his remaining hand. He too is determined to make the transition from fighter to elected official.
His political agenda, geared toward the interests of the Palestinian people, focuses on security, ending corruption within Fatah and the PA, legal reforms, and the release of political prisoners and reforming the prison system. It is not uncommon for Nablus residents to have at least one family member who has served a prison term. He also wishes to expose the rampant abuse of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
Campaign posters will not be necessary, Al-Fishi explained, since he received an estimated 80 percent of voter support in a preliminary poll he conducted. Not an inconceivable figure since his photo can be found on the screens of mobile phones belonging to female students at the University in Nablus.
Running for office as a “wanted” candidate poses obvious problems, although Al-Fishi does not seem dissuaded by the risk of exposure. Hamas also largely operates in secrecy and will have to develop more visible methods of communication in order to run campaigns.
Al-Aqsa enjoys widespread support from the community in Nablus and is open to new membership providing a voice for average citizens.
Abu Eayd, an Al-Aqsa spokesperson, explained that Al-Aqsa militants became involved with the clashes between PA police and fighters in Nablus on March 4 in an effort to assist a shopkeeper, unaffiliated with the faction, who was robbed and came to the group first for assistance before going to the PA police.
Palestinian factions connect individual citizens on a grass roots level to Palestinian nationalism, particularly Hamas that combines Palestinian nationalism with Islam.
In his March 8 speech on fighting terrorism US President Bush stated, “We seek two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.” Perhaps this is not the Palestinian democracy Bush had in mind, but it indeed reflects the will of the people.
Ali Jarbawi, a professor of political science at Birzeit University recently wrote, “The ‘calm’ has been granted to Abu Mazen because the factions sensed through their mutual dialogue that there is an opportunity to become a partner rather than a subordinate in a Palestinian political system.” However, the success of the Legislative Council elections depends largely on Israeli’s plans to withdraw from Gaza and West Bank cities, and the removal of checkpoints. The restriction of movement was a serious obstacle to the success of the presidential election in which there were only seven candidates on the ballot. In this case there will be hundreds of candidates trying to campaign and the estimated 900 checkpoints and barriers will pose significant problems.