CAIRO, January 27, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – The Palestinians deserve respect and support as their real democratic legislative elections proved that civil society in Palestine is more vibrant than anywhere else in the region and owes nothing to Washington's selective efforts to promote democracy out there, Britain's mass-circulation the Guardian commented on Friday, January 27.

"Today's priority is to accept that Palestinians have spoken freely. They deserve respect and support," the British daily said.

It said that Wednesday's election proved that the Palestinian politics has its own dynamics, dictated not by outside pressure but the social and economic demands of ordinary people in appalling conditions.

The resistance group Hamas swept the Palestinian legislative elections, winning 76 seats in the 133-seat Palestinian Legislative Council, nearly 57.6 percent of the seats up for grabs.

The daily said that the elections were a more impressive expression of democracy and freedom than any other in the Middle East.

"The poll was a more impressive display of democracy than any other in the region, outstripping last year's votes in Lebanon and Iraq both in turnout and the range of views that candidates represented.

"Whereas in Iraq parties that opposed the occupation had to downplay or even obscure their views, Palestinian supporters of armed resistance to Israel's expansionist strategies were able to run openly," it said.

The British daily said Europeans were making much fuss about Hamas's refusal to accept Israel.

"History and international politics do not march in tidy simultaneous steps. For decades Israel refused even to recognize the existence of the Palestinian people, just as Turkey did not recognize the Kurds," it said.

The paper said until 15 years ago the Palestinians had to be smuggled to international summits as part of Jordan's delegation.

The Guardian said that Hamas could disarm itself and recognize Israel in future.

"That will be the end of the process of establishing a just modus vivendi for Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East. It cannot be the first step."

On Thursday, the United States and European Union have stepped up pressures on Hamas to accept Israel after the group's stunning election victory.

The British daily further urged the Europeans to "encourage Hamas" and not to get hung up on wrong issues such as the armed resistance and the so-called "war on terror."

"Murdering a Palestinian politician by a long-range attack that is bound also to kill innocent civilians is morally and legally no better than a suicide bomb on a bus," it said, citing the example of senior Hamas figure Mahmud Al-Zahar.

"He has felt the occupation on his skin. His wife was paralyzed and his eldest son killed by an Israeli F-16 attack on his house in 2003. Zahar was in the garden and lucky to survive."

The paper also warned of cutting off EU aid to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas's win.

"Any cut-off in EU aid would only be a gift to Israel's hardliners," it said.