The Palestinian Elections

So, your country just elected a bunch of terrorists to Parliament, now what? Before I can even attempt to offer any answers, it would be best to explain a little background.

Hamas, a powerful terrorist organization that has its chief stated aim listed as “the destruction of Israel,” has just won a majority of seats in the new Palestinian legislature. This is the same Hamas that has committed scores of suicide bombings inside Israel, has supplied arms to just about any jihadist organization that wants them, and has repeatedly attacked and murdered civilians for decades.

At first glace, this is democracy gone horribly wrong. And while I agree that this does not look good (at least on the surface) for peace in the middle east, I think the results of the election might be more positive than most people realize.

It is imperative that we, the United States, do not come right out and condemn the election. For one, we would look extremely hypocritical by promoting democracy to then only recognize the outcome if it is favorable to us. Also, we must remember that we were the ones pushing the Palestinians to a vote so early in the first place. Keeping these things in mind, however, we must not abandon our sovereign right to choose whom we associate with on a diplomatic level. If Hamas doesn’t clean up their act, and fast, we can and should completely turn our backs to them.

But here’s the great opportunity: Hamas didn’t expect to win a majority. In fact, throughout the election they have claimed to be very comfortable with the thought of taking a secondary role in government. They insisted that their only wish was to participate in a new coalition government, not lead one. But why? Because in a leadership position, Hamas would be forced to take a firm position on Israel.

As a terrorist organization, Hamas’ primary goal is the destruction of Israel. As a government, this becomes an untenable political position. For a government to adopt such a stance would amount to a de facto declaration of war. The United States has insisted that it will not deal with a Hamas-led government unless they renounce their aim to destroy Israel. If they act responsibly, they will renounce this decades old objective. This would be a major victory for Israel and the United States. If they choose the other side, then Israel can walk in there and forcibly remove the threat Hamas represents.

My hope is that the world waits before pushing Hamas into a corner. Welcome the election results, but remind Palestine that they must now act responsibly if they want to play with the big boys. If they can’t let go of their idea that Israel must be destroyed, then I’m afraid the only place for Hamas in the future will be in history books.