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Hamas green
Photo: AFP

Palestinians: Hamas will fail like Arafat

Palestinians have little hope Hamas will end diplomatic freeze with Israel and bring independence

The Palestinian street did not react to the swearing-in of the new Hamas-led parliament on Saturday. In Ramallah, where legislators met for the first time since the January 25 elections, people in cafes watched al-Jazeera and seemed more interested in the implications of Israel’s planned economic siege against the Palestinian Authority than in the inauguration ceremony.

 

People argued over whether food supplies should be stacked in anticipation of an economic crisis should Israel go ahead with threats to ban Palestinian workers, boycott the Palestinian Authority and impose a curfew in the West Bank.

 

Smoking Narjila and drinking coffee, Abu Ghazi said Israel will find in Hamas a partner in negotiating common interests. He said Hamas’s Islamic and God-fearing nature will improve the Palestinian Authority’s performance, especially when it comes to law enforcement.

 

Abu Ghazi is, however, concerned about a clash between rivals Hamas and Fatah: “The expected competition and rivalry between our leaders --- Mahmoud Abbas and his man against Hamas’s parliamentary speaker and prime minister --- could cause a lot of trouble. We are not scared of Israel because it is clear that more unilateral steps are on the agenda. Divisions within our leadership are worrying because they will paralyze our life.”

 

'Hamas will implement Islamic law'

 

Abu Ghazi explains that he voted for Hamas “in the hope that they as they chased Israel out of Gaza they will know how to bring peace and bread to the West Bank.”

 

The coffee shop’s owner said he does not expect many changes in the political situation under Hamas. “On the political front, things

 

will remain the same, and what happens will be America and Israel’s decision because we decide nothing. Hamas is far from being able to play with the big boys. If Arafat and Abbas failed, the new parliament speaker, Ghazi Duwaik, and the candidate for prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, even Khaled Mashaal, won’t be able to revive the peace process and give us our rights.”

 

One thing that most the attendees hope for was that Hamas will be able to put an end to the state of social anarchy in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. “Military anarchy is easier than social anarchy where women sit in coffee shop and drink beer --- that’s unacceptable. That’s what causing us so many catastrophes: Allah’s fury and not Israel. When women want to smoke cigarettes, drive cars, go to coffee shops, smoke Nargila and drink beer, may Allah help Hamas in restraining these immoral permissiveness,” Abu Mohammad, 40.

 

According to Abu Mohammad, Hamas has to impose Islamic law. “In the end, Allah will bring us freedom and victory, but we have to follow his words before reaching these ends. We need to pray, to preserve morals and respect and to stop immoral acts. I have a little girl, here in Ramallah. When she grows up and sees all these girls smoking cigarettes, driving cars and going to coffee shops without a hijab, how can I tell her that wearing a hijab is the right thing to do? It is not simple, and therefore I hope Hamas will liberate us from this shame even if they fail to liberate Palestine.”

 

Hamas was swift to reject calls by leader Mahmoud Abbas to respect agreements signed with Israel and pursue a peaceful policy. As Abbas delivered his speech before parliament, Hamas members booed while a handful of women applauded in support of the Palestinian leader.

 

Praying in parliament

 

Hamas legislators who wore no ties as they entered the parliament to distinguish themselves from Fatah members demanded that the parliament adopts Islamic values such as modesty and pleasantness.

 

In a first show of power, Hamas members interrupted parliamentary proceedings for midday prayers.

 

Outside the Mukataa, dozens of women protested the imprisonment of their husbands and sons in Israeli jails. One of the protesters said she hopes the new parliament will find a solution for security prisoners: “More than 10 Hamas legislators are in jail. We will be happy if they do little for us but help their colleagues and our sons.”

 

A senior Hamas parliamentarian agreed to meet the families of security prisoners inside the parliament building, saying “we have started work; we are the new owners of the house.”

 

Outside the parliament building in Ramallah, journalists from all over the world chatted. A Japanese reporter asked a Palestinian colleague if he could introduce him to a Hamas legislator. Palestinian and foreign journalists seemed preoccupied with figuring out which Middle Eastern parliament has more bearded members: Egypt, the Palestinian territories or Iran?

 

“Next time we will sing songs by Prophet Mohammad which he sand when he fled Mecca to Madina from the infidels,” said a local journalist.

 

Mahmoud Abbas left the parliament for consultations and he is expected to officially ask Hamas to form the next government in the near future. The Palestinian Authority fears that Hamas’s control of the parliament and the government will bury diplomatic negotiations and give Israel enough excuses to implement more unilateral step. Hamas, so they say, will focus on implementing Islamic law in Ramallah coffee shops.

 


פרסום ראשון: 02.18.06, 20:02
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