http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/International/st...1709&WNTad=true

What if 'Terrorists' Win the Palestinian Elections?
ABC News

Jan. 22, 2006 — Israelis, Palestinians and leaders around the world are bracing for the real possibility that the militant group Hamas could win big in Wednesday's Palestinian elections.

It seems the Bush administration is doing more than just watching things, evidently backing the more moderate ruling party, Fatah, with U.S. taxpayer dollars, according to a report in "The Washington Post."

"I think policy now is being reassessed in terms of what kind of position the United States could take not only to support the opponents of the Islamist groups, but also what to do if those Islamist groups in fact win," said Shibley Telhami of the Brookings Institution, a U.S. public policy think tank.

Both the United States and Israel consider Hamas, which pioneered the use of the suicide bomber, a terrorist group.

U.S. Said to Back Fatah

The White House is keeping a wary eye on the wider elections, hoping Fatah — which now controls the Palestinian Authority — will be able to fight off the challenge from Hamas.

And it appears the Bush administration has been doing more than just watching.

A tree planting in the West Bank this past week looked like a routine ceremony for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. But a report in Sunday's "Washington Post" said it was part of a Bush administration effort to boost Abbas and Fatah — and blunt the popularity of Hamas.

Daily projects are said to include handing out food and water at Israeli checkpoints, cleaning up streets and sponsoring a youth soccer tournament. U.S. funds also are said to pay for newspaper ads to make sure Abbas and Fatah get the credit. There's no mention that Washington is picking up the tab.

The Bush administration apparently is spending twice what Hamas expects to spend in the campaign. But analysts say it could backfire if Abbas looks like a White House puppet.

We all know who the terrorists in Washington are. Why should we worry about terrorists over there. It seems to me this is highly illogical finger-pointing.

It must comfort some people to keep finding terrorists in other peoples' back yards, and in any case, Nelson Mandella was a type of terrorist, though he did not kill people he did destroy property and there was always the chance that someone might have got hurt. When 'freedom fighters' get into power they are no longer called terrorists.

Today's news accounts said Isreal and the US
were taken by surprise by Hamas' victory...DUH!

Maybe their TVs don't get ABC.

Sur-prise Sur-prise Sur-prise!

As long as they stop suiciding and become part of the solution of government....

Nobody expected them to actually grab an outright majority despite the fact that their policies have over 70% support from Palestinians (evidence that Bush really doesn't pay attention to polls?)

Their position is that Israel has no right to exist, if they continue with their one state policy I'll support a one state solution too, if it's implemented they won't like it, or survive.

I did, but the odds allow me to be correct once in awhile.

Israel will exisit 'til the end of days...it is written.
If the radicals of Hamas wanna step out, they'll
be cut down...and the State of Palestine will cease
to exist in its infancy. I hope rational minds persevere

I think given the responsibility of governing rather than rebelling they will become more moderate. If not I suspect that their hostility will be directed more at their Fatah rivals rather than Israel. In a way Hamas and the Likud benefit each other like the PLO and Likud benefit each other. I hope the moderates can keep some power on both sides.

I think so too Brookie, or at least I hope so...bringing people into the fold of decision-making when it involves the important things of their lives like homes, schools, the basic utilities etc can sometimes humanize people....if they are always out at the periphery and viewed as a pariah or needing to fight for some cause....they will fulfill that role too.

it's a sad circumstance on both sides....there are decent men, women and children in both Palestine and Israel....they are stuck in the middle.

The fly in the ointment is over 70% of the population supports genocide, I'm not optimistic.

I found a good site which tells us a lot about the situation in Israel. Google 'Condoleeza Rice Jewish' and you will come to one about the Hardness of the Jewish people. It gives a succinct history of the region. Kurt Nimmo wrote it.

I know....odds aren't the greatest......

DWBo4 is correct. The people of Palestine have been brutalized. Who by?

I'm not so sure...
I believe instead they look to those of
their own cloth that maintained the fight for
independence...and hope once it's gained, will
cherish it, disavowing radical rule.

But, you know my optimism...

If it is unfounded...well, lock and load. :football:

Sorry, consistently polls in Palestine show that over 75% of the population believes Israel should cease to exist and it should be part of Palestine and over 70% believe it should be done even if it means killing all the Jews. For Hamas to counteract this they'd have to become REAL leaders, so far they've proven to just be punks. Fatah had more than a few major problems, but at least they tried.

Actually I didn't quite put it that way LB....I merely hoped that by Hamas being included the Palestinian people might have a real life again....And for that matter the Israelis


both sides have acted badly, and both have been brutalized.....we don't need to continue their war.

I have never been too optimistic about peace in Israel--mostly just hoping for decent rights for both sides and lesser hostility and conflict. I think that is what most people would settle for. Both sides are going to keep scrapping over every inch of space. I actually dont follow Israel scene that closely. My understanding is that they voted for a government not an extermination policy. However, I am concerned that the Hamas govt could want to undo the recent peace process progress. Radical factions on any side need enemies more than allies.

One thing I do think (based on gut feeling) is that people in the US, on either side of the issues, worry too much about what goes on in Israel.

"My understanding is that they voted
for a government not an extermination policy."- Brookie

That's what I'm banking on...time will tell...but I have hope.

The Shin Beth, the Mossad, do not sleep.
I do not fear for Israel...I hope for Palestine.

When will Bush and his NeoCon repubs who are so easily corrupted with cash thrown at their faces, ever stop to think that other nations' candidates are not so easily bribed with mere $$$? They tried to doi it in Iraq and that failed. They should know better that don't work with Palestine, too. All the Bush Regime has created is a mistrust for anything to do with them.

Think of tjhe Bush Regimes steadsfast determination to take america to War in Iraq. And for all the spying Bush has illegally done to America, his consistent boasts about his success with the war on terrorism, doesn't it make you irk to think that Bin Laden is still inflicting fear on and inimidating Americans? We're back to square one, worried and wondering when Bin Laden would be striking again, wondering who our new enemies are, and hitting our heads and wishing if Iraqis are actually raving to the Bush's type of Democracy? America desperately needs a fresh and competent team... not the same old members who have to keep listening to the angst of the American Public before they realize the continuing errors made by them. BS... if anyone should believe that Bush has succeed in keeping America safe. Have we all forgotten how to count and see the years gone by since 9/11. Safe? With Bin Laden still honking his threats? And Iraq falling into the hands of the Fundamentalist-type of Islam Religion, and Hamas winning the hearts of the majority in Palestine after so many decades without success? Everyone who has been involved in America's tactics of fighting its War on Terror has failed,, and failed badly. Everyone of them should quit and allo capable Americas to step in quickly to bring competent and wise decision-making. American must demand change of War on Terror tactics and not wait till its too late for America to prove its leadership to the world again. It's time our leaders stop listening to crap that has in the past never worked for any country failing to stop the flow and smell of blood and death musking their own land.

America now has more hell to face since the incompetent and error-prone Bush Regime started taking charge of America's War on Terror. I'm sur eBush and his NeoCons would have loved to see Diebold handling the vote counts in Palestine. And it's a dream that ain't going to happen in countries that mistrust the Bush regime. And all the GOPs are voting is a right to make Bush their godly idol, with appointments, like Alito, to make doubly sure that they always have their own annointed god shining above the American Law, on the White House throne, to keep covering up the butts of the corrupted Repub NeoCons and approve of their sleezy deals and bribes. Good God, we are paying a bunch of corrupted creeps to keep America safe. And that's as problematic as hiring a Mafia gang of thugs to keep our neighborhhod safe!

Well George... with regards to foreign democracies: How do ya like me now ?

Be careful what you wish for.... you just may get it.

Bush also financially backed (with US tax dollars) the failed Iraqi leadership of Allawi who got 6? six seats. Chalabi got zero seats.

What is so hard to understand? People the world over hate Americans because of Bush, and now all they have to do to gain power is run for election on nothing more than hatred of America. So Bush claims that he wants to end terrorism, but what he actually DOES is make al Qaeda MORE powerful, larger, and more diversified, and ensures that America-hating radicals win elections in their countries (free, democratic elections that WE insisted they have, and then interfered in so the will of the people wouldn't actually be carried out if it was contrary to what the Bushies want) and come to power legitimately. Terrorists will no longer be fringe groups operating out of caves; they will be the leaders of their countries. Yeah, I feel SO much safer now.

Scott McClellan: "We don't negotiate with terrorists; we put them out of business." That, and we get them elected to positions of power in their governments and make them leaders of the world.

And I guess we are all overlooking the fact that voters in countries are now wanting the same corrupt hard-core and radical millitant leaders as those we have we have. Think they we're supposed to believe their populations are going to rest peacefully in their fields or welcome America with flowers and petals as we charge into their countries to occupy them? The more we're willing to retain our corrupt radicals in the Government, the more we should expect foreign dictators to mushroom - until someone drops a nuke, intentionally or accidently, and we might then all be dead - without even the ability to gasp and breathe out one word, "Armaggedon"!

The Bush's War on Terror is a disgrace. Which historical war America had fought in the past that is so soaked with an abundance of continuing errors that keeps eating away America's integrity and trusted leadership? I guess there are more and more Americans who's becoming afraid of fear to cloud out their senses to remember the Bush Regime's non-ceasing mistakes. How many more has the Bush regime got to make before the whole Public wakes up? Are those dead Americans in Iraq and those returning with severe fatalities not enough to wake up Americans?

Why is the Bush Regime so scared of photos taken of the thousands of Iraqi civilians' And Americans' bodies blown to bits, and of those so impaired that their sight might even lead guilty observers to heart attacks or turn their minds amok? Because, deep down, Bush is essentially too much of a pale-faced coward not daring to face up to the dead and the injured!

Powerful verbage...congrats...salute...writers are smiling.

This reminds me of an Arab on a Jewish forum who said that the Israelis deliberately kill the moderates. Then look at the lone Zionist who supposedily killed Yikzak Rabin. I know that there lies another conspiracy story...but the official version itself is not very pretty. In essence the security services are running the world, disposing of the good people and allow the extremists on both sides to live. Look at the result of the Beslan massacre. Moderate leader: dead. Extremist leader: alive and well and not even scared.

Bush was put in deliberately to make sure that the Muslims would get the message. No more Rose Garden meetings with Palestinian leaders. That was a bygone era. After the staging of 9/11 the rot set into American society. People bought the lie, lock, stock and barrel. It is so much easier than taxing ones brain to find out the real perpetrators. It is so much the modern idea that we should trust our leaders. The Bible warns against 'trusting in Princes' because it is those very Princes who are corrupt. They are the ones Ephesians talks about in the battle against Principalities and Powers in high places. I don't blame people. It is horrible to regurgitate the past atrocities and recount time and again what suffering people went through...but you have to examine all the official stories because they are the clue to the fabrications that make up the official story of every large 'terrorist' attack. Notice that they always occur at or near 9am or 9 pm local time. This is a favoured number of theirs. 11 is another one. 13 is another. They give themselves away but people are not tuned in to receiving the truth. They have been fed too many lies in the past and it would be like mental torture for them to peel back the lies and find the truth.

As in most elections...initial euphoria gives in
to reality. Tonight they celebrate...tomorrow
they must find a tact to empower their country.

Militants must become political...practical...
or passe'. Time will judge their cause.

Some of them tried to have a purge (lynching) already, when the method of control is keeping people in desperate poverty and feeding them racial and religious hatred changing course may not be possible. It's a personal contact culture with high population density, mob mentality takes over quite easily. On the other hand, if they want to, Hamas has the best opportunity to make peace just like Nixon could open up China. To be blunt I can't see them going for peace because even disasterous policy wouldn't make them as unpopular.

Thanks. Indianhead. To think that in my past ancient days, I had found it hard to pen even an excuse for my son's absence from school.

By the way, hasn't the Public noticed that the Bush Regime is so unsuccessful pulling together a real coalition of foreign nations' support - I'm thing of real financial and human support equivalent to our contributions, while these Middle Eastern hard-cores are doing a great job - even to the extent of suicides! That's to say Bush's leadership in the World is crappy! Or, perhaps, he's only capable of attracting the bad crowd.

Oh yes, Nixon opened up China too well and they stole all our best expertise and trade secrets, and blossomed fast.

Peace? It's becoming more and more a lost and ancient word in the vocabulary. Who wants peace, when there are loot and power in nukes and arms? (pun meant! )

Well the Nazis came to power via democratically held elections too. When people vote there fear they get what they deserve.

et voila! so came the rise of fascist mr bush

Not really, they got enough seats to have influence then made deals. Even after making deals they weren't fully in control until they were able to undermine the system in response to arson.

Both points are accurate...fear was the adhesive
that assembled gold-filled Swastika lapel pins
and stuck cloth Stars of David on prison uniforms.

Fear and "enemy without, enemy within", two tools that have proven vital for those wanting to oppose freedom and equality for over a century.

One great thing about those Palestinians - they do have minds of their own and are not filtered with money buyouts or kiss foreign butts to suite foreign tastes. Boy, don't we hate that when money can play such heavy forces to change us to support the biggest bidders.

Political cartoon
Sunday 1/29/06
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/robrogers/

Rice and Bush pressured other countries today to stop giving funds to Palestine until Hamas stops threatening Israel. No negotiations with terrorists! The peace process in dead.