 Hamas supporters yesterday celebrated a landslide election victory in major West Bank towns, the strongest sign yet of the groupâs growing political appeal ahead of Jan. 25 parliamentary elections. Israel responded with concern, saying a Palestinian government dominated by Hamas â which calls for Israelâs destruction â would not be a partner for peace.
The results stunned officials from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbasâ 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.
Thousands of Hamas supporters marched through West Bank and Gaza towns after Friday prayers to celebrate the groupâs 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 Qurâan and chanted: âTo Jerusalem we march, martyrs by the millions.â
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.
âWe didnât expect we would get that many votes,â said Adli Yaish, a local businessman who headed the Hamas list in Nablus and is expected to be named the new mayor. âThe Palestinian people want change and believe in our list. We now have to do a good job. We are now being tested.â The party did well in other local elections, winning 72 percent of the vote in El-Bireh, a large suburb of Ramallah.
Hamasâ schools, clinics and other welfare programs â coupled with its fierce resistance to Israelâs occupation â have won it grass-roots support among Palestinians fed up with Fatahâs 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. 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. Abbasâ 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 âFuture.â Hamasâ landslide victory was a direct result of Fatahâs internal struggle and would carry over to the Parliament vote, said Hani Masri, a Palestinian political commentator for the Al-Ayyam daily.
While Fatah did win Thursdayâs election in several small towns and villages, it did not capture any of the large election prizes. Even in Ramallah, the West Bankâs 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. 
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