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What Palestinians Expect From Hamas
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By Ola Atallah & Atef Daghlas**
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Feb.
8, 2006
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With
Hamas’ election victory, the future of the Palestinian people and
the fact that they are facing
the prospect of cuts in
global aid have become the subject of heated debate. With Hamas
consistently perceived by the United States as a terrorist
organization, many questions pose themselves regarding the future of
the peace negotiations, the nature of future pressure on the
Palestinian government, and the resulting economic and social
conditions in the Palestinian territories. IslamOnline’s Ola
Atallah, from the Gaza Strip, and Atef Daghlas, from the West Bank,
provide us with some of the people's comments.
The
Gaza Strip
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Palestinian children wearing Hamas headbands attend a gathering for the Islamic group (Reuters photo).
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Nour
al-Saqqa, university student: “I hope Hamas will be able to
provide me with security and protection. I hope, under the Hamas-led
government, we will be able to live in happiness and with
dignity.”
Amina
Ashour, young woman:
“Hamas has to stand for the right of Palestinians to resist
occupation, and to govern according to Shariah. On the personal
level, I hope women will be armed with Islamic upbringing and full
understanding of their rights under Shariah.”
Hajj
Nahedh Sarsour: “Hamas should rebuild the Palestinian economy
and solve the problems of poverty and unemployment.”
Lina
Salim, eighth grade student:
“Hamas should introduce better educational curricula and methods
in order for us to be able to catch up with modernity.”
Ahmed
Ghazal, university student: “Hamas should encourage students
to participate in extracurricular activities. They also should
create an appropriate atmosphere for student unions to work, and
support them in a way that enables them to be strongholds of
national awareness.”
"Security is more important for us than food and water." |
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Umm
Ibrahim Qassim: “They should achieve social solidarity and
help with maintaining Palestinian perseverance. The most important
thing is arming citizens, especially the youth against moral
corruption and intellectual invasion.”
Muhammad
Hejazi, Palestinian youth: “Hamas should fight corruption, and
to put an end to lawlessness and disorder. We dream of living in
peace. Security is more important for us than food and water.”
Sara
al-Khedry, university student: “I want Hamas to protect the
Palestinian rights in Jerusalem and to resist all the attempts for
Judaizing it.”
Hajja
Huda Ismail, 70: “Simply,
I want Hamas to apply their slogan of 'change and reform'."
Hisham
al-Shurafa, engineer:
“in sha’ Allah (Allah willing) the coming days will be
better. Things will be better under the Hamas-led government because
Hamas has qualified leaders. Let’s wait and see.”
Rana
Hemdan, young woman:
“I do not think that the Hamas-led government will be better than
its predecessor. They are all the same: They look for prestigious
positions. Once they are in power, they will completely forget about
us.”
Bilal
Abu Kashef, merchant:
“The Palestinian society will face many challenges as a result of
Hamas’ victory. I am afraid that financial aid will stop, which
will worsen our situation.”
Sally
al-Shawwa: “Hamas might force women to wear the veil and I
refuse this. I am a Muslim girl, but I will wear the veil at the
time that I find appropriate. I think Hamas will force us to do
it.”
The
West Bank
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A Hamas supporter waves a green flag in celebration of election results in the West Bank City of Hebron (Reuters photo).
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Nawwaf
al-Amer, writer and researcher: “Hamas’s victory constitutes
a turning point in the processes of reform and democratization in
Palestine, the Arab World and the Middle East. The people who voted
for Hamas are quite satisfied with the results despite all the
attempts for spreading fear of the future. In my opinion, all the
fears that have to do with money will fade away as Hamas proves its
success, and as the government employees get paid their salaries.
What
I want from Hamas is just like what any other citizen wants:
fighting oppression and corruption, giving people back their rights,
appointing qualified people and achieving social security. Also, it
is very important to prevent a civil war from erupting, which will
allow Hamas to score points for itself and for the Islamic movement
in general.”
“The results of the elections were not determined by a leader, an official or the so-called thugs; rather, they were determined by the will of a free
nation.” |
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Waddah
Abdel-Kareem, journalist: “I think that Palestinians are keen
for change and reform, which can be attributed to their belief in
the importance of fighting corruption and providing people with jobs
to allow them to lead good lives. I voted for Hamas because they are
the ones capable of dealing with the coming challenges due to their
honorable history and their role as the spearhead of the resistance
movement.
What
I want from Hamas is carrying on with liberating Palestine, the
whole of it, participating in freeing the prisoners from the
occupation jails, giving back liberty to our besieged people in the
Gaza and the West Bank and alleviating injustice.”
Ramy
Abu Dhaher, university student:
“Hamas won the elections because it is a sincere movement that has
a very special place in the hearts of a big number of Palestinians.
Most Palestinians urge Hamas to stand firm in order to gain the
confidence of the Palestinian voter.
If
they give up their beliefs, they will lose the trust of their
people. The people’s demands are the basic ones: Jerusalem, the
return of the refugees, etc. They want their rights to be
protected.”
Alaa
Muhammad, nurse:
“The marvelous results of the elections were not determined by a
leader, an official or the so-called thugs; rather, they were
determined by the will of a free nation that dreams of an end for
corruption. Therefore, I call on Hamas to be up to the trust of the
people who voted for it, to work hard on freeing prisoners and to
liberate the land and the people.”
“I call on Hamas to resign because they have placed themselves in an embarrassing situation. They cannot find a middle way between resistance and
peace.” |
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Riyadh
Udah: “We call on Hamas to forget about vengeance because
there are more important issues, such as imposing order, creating
job opportunities and gaining external aid. I advise Hamas not to
recognize Israel because if it did, it would be giving up its basic
principles. I also ask Hamas not to negotiate at the time being, not
to recognize Israel and not to give up to external pressures.”
Ahmed
Fatah Allah, engineer: “The Palestinian situation after
Hamas’s victory is critical. They have to fulfill the promises
they made during their electoral campaign, especially in the field
of internal reform (the economic situation, fighting corruption).
The people have chosen Hamas for this particular reason. There are
external pressures for sure, but dealing with them should not affect
the basic Palestinian demands (Jerusalem and the refugees).”
Saed
Dowaykat, middle-aged man:
“Hamas should work on fulfilling their promises and to benefit
from the experience of their predecessors. They also should benefit
from qualified people regardless of their political affiliation and
stand up to Israeli, American and European blackmail.
They
should take their people’s side. Hamas must not recognize Israel
because by recognizing it, they lose their raison d'ętre.
Recognizing Israel is not only a political stance; rather, it
involves the basic ideological foundations of Hamas.”
Wafa
al-Khayyat, doctor:
“Hamas must not give up any of its principles because if they did,
they would lose the trust of the Palestinian voter. They should form
a coalition government, and they should not stop cooperating with
Fatah. Also, they should give the voters confidence by maintaining
security on the national level and by proving to people their
capabilities.”
Yahya
Mahameed, farmer:
“Hamas should follow the footsteps of the martyr Ahmed Yassin and
Dr. Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi. They should recognize Israel only if
Israel changes its view regarding Hamas being a terrorist
organization. They should not give up to external pressures.”
Huda
Yusuf, dressmaker: “I call on Hamas to resign because they
have placed themselves in an embarrassing situation. They cannot
find a middle way between resistance and peace. I urge Hamas to
recognize Isreal, a state recognized internationally. There should
be negotiation, compromise and flexibility while dealing with
external pressure.”
Atallah
Tayseer: “Hamas
should recognize the Oslo Accords and find solutions for the
unemployment problem. Also, it should recognize Israel in order for
the financial aid not to be stopped. Being responsive to external
pressures in a way that benefits the Palestinian people is also
important.”
**
Ola Atallah & Afef Daghlas are IslamOnline’s correspondents in Palestine.
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