The results are now official — Hamas has scored an overwhelming victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections. Of the 132 seats in Parliament, Hamas won 76 seats, 33 more than the governing Fatah. Israel, the United States, and several European nations say they’ll refuse to deal with a Hamas-led government unless it renounces armed struggle and its call for Israel’s destruction. In Washington, President Bush said: “I don’t see how you can be a partner in peace if you advocate the destruction of a country as part of your platform. And I know you can’t be a partner in peace if you have a — if your party has got an armed wing. The elections just took place. We will watch very carefully about the formation of the government. But I will continue to remind people about what I just said, that if your platform is the destruction of Israel, it means you’re not a partner in peace. And we’re interested in peace.”
Israel, US Call On Hamas To Renounce Violence, Charter
HeadlineJan 27, 2006