Hamas in Charge

"In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women." -Tony Montana

It is no surprise that most pundits’ response to Hamas’ recent electoral victory has been one of fear, revulsion and cynicism. And it is even less surprising that the majority of the reactions tend to lash out at the Bush Administration in the process. Yet most of the pundits fail to recognize the long term positive benefits this election will have on the War on Terror, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

To be sure, the electoral success of a violent and radical group like Hamas calls into question the very idea that peace can be brokered between the two peoples. It also calls into question the Bush Administration’s promotion of democracy in a region where the U.S. is considered “the Great Satan.”

A look deeper, however, shows that these concerns are relevant only in the short run. Hamas can no longer hide behind a Fatah-run Palestinian Authority. They are the Palestinian Authority. They have inherited the burden of power. AS such they really have just two basic options. They can either A.) acknowledge the existence of Israel, renounce the use of terror, and continue to receive tax receipts from the Israeli government, as well as foreign aid from other Western governments; or B.) Continue to wage war on Israel, bankrupt the PA within a month and invite the IDF to ransack Gaza and the West Bank.

If Hamas chooses option A, it is further proof that democratically elected governments (even if they’re battle hardened Islamist terrorists) tend to be more moderate and less violent then autocratic ones. If Hamas chooses option B, peace will have to wait, but it will only have to wait until the Palestinian people get fed up with a government that is broke, isolated, and can’t protect the security of their own people. It likely won’t last long.

Many critics have stated that it is hypocritical of the Bush administration to withhold aid to Hamas. Bush called for democracy, and now he doesn’t want to work with a democratically elected government. What these critics miss, however, is that aid from the U.S. is a privilege, not a right. The U.S. attaches conditions to most of the billions they send to Israel. A quick example: every dollar the Jews spend on settlements, is a dollar less they receive from us. Furthermore, it would be even more hypocritical to deal with a terrorist group while we continue to fight the Global War on Terror.

The U.S. response aside, the proverbial ball is in Hamas’ court. It’s their move. They won the election, they get to form the government, and in due time, they will have to decide between option A or B. Such is the burden of power. In either case, they will have to answer to the Palestinian people. Such is the burden of power in a democracy.