NABLUS, 17 December 2005 — Hamas supporters yesterday celebrated a landslide election victory in major West Bank towns, the strongest sign yet of the group’s growing political appeal ahead of Jan. 25 parliamentary elections.
Israel responded with concern, saying a Palestinian government dominated by Hamas — which calls for Israel’s destruction — would not be a partner for peace.
The results stunned officials from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party, who blamed the poor showing on internal disarray in the party, which split earlier this week in a dispute over its slate for the parliamentary elections.
“The earth shook under our feet,” Issam Abu Baker, Fatah’s chief in the Nablus region, said of the party split. “This will have an effect on the parliamentary elections.”
Also yesterday, Palestinians shot at an Israeli car near the West Bank city of Hebron, killing a resident of a nearby Jewish settlement. Fighters linked to Fatah and Islamic Jihad claimed joint responsibility
Israel said the Palestinian Authority is not doing enough to stop extremists and linked the attack to the elections.
“It is totally unacceptable and intolerable that when they have elections in the Palestinian Authority, we will have to pay the price in casualties because of the competition between various groups,” said Raanan Gissin, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. “The competition should take place with ballots, not bullets.”
Thousands of Hamas supporters marched through West Bank and Gaza towns after Friday prayers to celebrate the group’s election victory. In the West Bank town of Jenin, where Hamas won eight of 15 seats on the local council according to unofficial results, supporters held up copies of the Qur’an and chanted: “To Jerusalem we march, martyrs by the millions.”
Hamas overwhelmed Fatah in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, capturing 73 percent of the vote and 13 of 15 council seats. The other two seats went to a coalition of Fatah and independent candidates.
“We didn’t expect we would get that many votes,” said Adli Yaish, a local businessman who headed the Hamas list in Nablus and is expected to be named the new mayor. “The Palestinian people want change and believe in our list. We now have to do a good job. We are now being tested.”
The party did well in other local elections, winning 72 percent of the vote in El-Bireh, a large suburb of Ramallah.
Hamas’ schools, clinics and other welfare programs — coupled with its fierce resistance to Israel’s occupation — have won it grass-roots support among Palestinians fed up with Fatah’s inability to bring order to the lawless streets of the West Bank and Gaza.
However, some Palestinians said they were wary of putting the group in charge of the Palestinian Authority.
Hassan Mubarakeh, a 33-year-old vendor in Nablus, said he voted for Hamas in the local election “because I believe it has clean hands, and can do something in Nablus.”
However, he ruled out voting for Hamas for Parliament “because they mix religion with politics,” he said.
A Hamas victory in the parliamentary elections could torpedo efforts to renew long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, and damage the Palestinian relationship with the United States.
Fatah, meanwhile, is in turmoil. Abbas’ last-minute attempt to unify the ranks failed Thursday when a group of popular young leaders led by jailed uprising leader Marwan Barghouti defected, forming a new party called “Future.”
Hamas’ landslide victory was a direct result of Fatah’s internal struggle and would carry over to the Parliament vote, said Hani Masri, a Palestinian political commentator for the Al-Ayyam daily.
“Fatah today is a sinking ship. Everyone is trying to jump ship and this will open the way for Hamas to win the upcoming election,” Masri said.
While Fatah did win Thursday’s election in several small towns and villages, it did not capture any of the large election prizes. Even in Ramallah, the West Bank’s commercial hub and a city with a significant Christian population, Fatah only tied for first place, grabbing six seats in a coalition with other factions. The radical PFLP won another six seats, and Hamas took three. Official election results were to be announced Saturday.
In four of five rounds of municipal voting over the past year, Fatah received 35 percent of council seats, compared to 23 percent for Hamas.
