Hurray for free choice. Hurray for Hamas.
"The results prove that Israel was right when it warned the United States that freedom of choice in the Arab world would award leadership to extremist Islamist movements and not to secular, liberal candidates."

So you are not imperialist trying to take over ha. Serves you right.

President Bush is about to come out for a press conference. Given that it is clear he does not respect democracy here in the USA, balance of power... why would he respect the vote of the folks in Paslestine?

Mr Morley needs to get a better handle on Israeli opinion. Debka is not a serious or reliable news organization; neither does it represent any significant branch of thought leadership in Israel. It's just a gossip site for a few current and former Israeli military intel types.

Perhaps if the Israeli voters didn't support Zionist expansionism, they wouldn't feel threatened by Hamas. And if they didn't feel threatened, then maybe they would see that they are supporting the creation of a fascist state.

My hope, and most likely GW's, is that Hamas will morph into a moderate entity and quell the violence. The people of Palestine want peace and now Hamas will have an opportunity to deliver that. If they continue with "tit for tat" killings, they won't be in power for more than one term. In fact, they will probably be overthrown before that term is over.

Give it a chance, after all, Hamas is a product of the fanatic Likud. Reap what you sew.

Hamasniks may never become Zionists, but they will not be taken seriously as long as their platform is to replace Israel with Palestine. Let's hear about their plans to centralize their military. Let's hear about their plans for religious tolerance. Let's hear about their plans to attract economic investment.

==>>"The results prove that Israel was right when it warned the United States that freedom of choice in the Arab world would award leadership to extremist Islamist movements and not to secular, liberal candidates."

People the world over are either hypocrites or blind. Israel has a rightwing conservative goverment. The US has a right wing conservative goverment built with rabid support of Christian fundamentalists. And then they complained when the Iraqis and the Palestinians did not vote for moderate/liberal secularists. I've got news for all you out there: fundamentalists are the same everywhere, different religions, different ethnics, but basically the same kind of people.

Freedom is on the march?

First, President Bush *greatly* empowers Iran by way of the SCIRI and the al' Dawa parties in Iraq.

Now Hamas takes the reins of power.

9/11 + Iraq = Bush's Islamic Republic in Iraq AND in Iran

Muahahahhaha. In future muslim history books Bish will be remembered as the hero who made it all possible with his unfailing stupidity.

Hamas victory is not surprising. Support to Hamas, I beleive, is a reaction to the dictatorships that have been propped up by the West for such a long time. I have a feeling if there elections in Egypt or Jordan, for instance, an Islamist group, much like Hamas would win the elections.
Decmocratic process are great; their outcomes are not a thing we like all the time. We, however, need to respect the people's choice.

Actually, it's not such a bad thing. Getting to power has been the kiss of death of many radical parties. It's always easier when you're the opposition.
Now they need to take care of the roads, the water, the economy.. They'll be judged on their pledge to fight corruption...
They have a chance to become a kind of Sinn Fein.

Following the good old saying 'one good turn deserves another', nobody should be surprised if coming Israeli elections bring Benjamin Natanyahu to power. That will shelve US-sponsored peace talks as far as one can see.

Egypt and Jordan are nothing. Think Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. If free elections are held today, the Osama loving faction will gain control of Saudi Arabia and the oil, and the Taliban loving faction will gain control of Pakistan and the nukes.

Abbas was willing and Sharon was not. Abbas kept returning empty handed to his people, just like Arrafat. The election result is only a natural consequence.
Maybe Bush and his administration will learn the military solution is no solution in the ME.

Geez, I don't like the right wing christian fundamentalists we elected in this country, but that doesn't mean that democracy is a failure. Giva Hamas a chance, being on the inside is a whole new set of challenges that they will have to meet. Or is Democracy only good if they vote the way we want???

Congratulations to the Hamas Political Party on election victory!

Americans shall wear green and celebrate tonight!

This seems to set the peace process significantly back in an a era in which extremism is becoming the norm. The fallowt may be devastating, both in the Middle East and far beyond.

Please, remember that in Hamas there are Christian candidates, theres no one in Natanyahu party. In Palestine there are Christian majors, no one in Israel.

Dale: Geez, I don't like the right wing christian fundamentalists we elected in this country, but that doesn't mean that democracy is a failure.

Well, shucks, golly gee whiz if history is any guide at all to future behavior the USA and Israel, gosh dang it, are really in a world of poo poo, that is stinky poo poo!!

Our great and holy leader's (Bush) actions have *directly* but not intentionally (dang it!) led to the ***vast empowering*** of Iran thru the invasion/occupation of Iraq and of Hamas in Palestine.

Now that our great and holy leader has empowered the extremist Islamicists how oh how is he going to make Hamas and the Iranians change their course of behavior???

How oh how will Bush make Hamas and Iran renounce their individual desires "remove Israel from the map"?

Good gracious!!

9/11 + Iraq = Bush's Islamic Republic in Iraq and Palestine

Kudos to Tom for pointing out that fundamentalism is the root of the problem. "God-sanctioned" arrogance, disrespect, ignorance, selfishness, conceit, bigotry, intolerance, racism and extremism. Christians are certainly high on the list. And lets not forget Jewish fundamentalists (Zionists) who started this whole obscenity (Israel) 100+ years ago.

Freedom is on the March????

WtF?

Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist movement and political party closely related to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Its stated goal is to to "remove Israel from the map" [1], and to establish an Islamic theocracy in the area that is currently Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza strip.

Hamas is listed as a terrorist group by the European Union, Canada, the United States, and Israel, and its attacks targeting Israeli civilians and other human rights abuses have been condemned by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

The Hamas Covenant, written in 1988, states that the organization's goal is to "raise the banner of God over every inch of Palestine," i.e. to eliminate the State of Israel (and any secular Palestinian state which may be established), and to replace it with an Islamic Republic.

Nice round-up of conservative opinion around this issue (with Ha'aretz's centrist Benn for good measure).

Is this what you consider fair and balanced? Stop watching Fox!

To say that the responses here are disturbing would be a bit of an understatement. This, however, is the bottom line: The Nation of Israel has returned to its traditional territory, the Land of Israel. We have been, as well, consistently willing to share it; the Arab-Moslem world has not. We are not Crusaders, we are children of this piece of earth. Until the Arab-Moslem understands and acknowledges this, they will continue to bury themselves further and further in their sick fanstasies of death and destruction. Let me ask one simple question: given that the Palestinians are dissatisfied with thier leadership, can it really be that the Hamas movement with their policy of suicied bombings and indiscriminate killing of civilians doesn't seem to be morally problematic for the majority of Palestinians? And if the answer is no, what does this say about the Palestinians?

Let us be clear: Fundamentalist Islam and Fundamentalist Christianity are NOT the same thing. To lump all conservative religious movements is short-sided and naive. Such naivite may make for nice sound bites, but it fails to comprehend the reality behind the inner drive of many conservative religionists.

Fundamentalist Christianity, if it is truly Christian, will never lead down a path akin to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Yes, there are some kooky fundamentalists in our country, and not everyone will like their moral certitude on a host of issues. But realize this: Christianity and Islam are, at root, very different religions. Fundamentalist Christians, no matter how hard they try, cannot get away from the fact that the God they worship and seek to follow, however imperfectly,commanded his disciples to turn the other cheak, and is given the title "Prince of Peace" in the book that is the basis of fundamentalist Christianity. There is an undeniable and inevitable moral tension towards peacemaking found in orthodox Chrisitanity that is, I believe, absent in Islam.

Let's see who else won today:

Iranian backed shiites won in Iraq.
Iranian backed Hamas won in Palestine.

Damn the mullahs are good at this democracy thing! What the hell they need nukes for? They should start consulting for the Democrats in winning American elections!

Whine...whine....whine....TOO bad...Bush is starting to get what is coming to him based on how he and his gang of administration thugs try to run the rest of the world..

Get use to it. We do NOT run the world!

You credulously write of the "Bush administration's promotion of democracy" as though this were fact. That would be fine if you were doing communications for the White House but as an independent journalist, you are expected to demonstrate a little more independence and perspective. Bush may CLAIM he's promoting democracy. Whether that is what he truly wants is open to question. Whether, irrespective of his intentions, that is what he is actually PROMOTING, is also highly questionable.
Please give us more journalism, less Bush administration rhetoric.

Hey Al,

So which is it? Do you follow the Prince of Peace and turn the other cheek? Or do you follow the conservative born again self proclaimed I consult the only Father I know Christian President and hit them before they hit you (also known as preemptive strike doctrine)?

My point is this: Islamic, Christian and Jewish fundamentalists all have this in common: They believe that their views are divinely sanctioned by God and that all others are not, and therefore, wrong. They've crossed the line from being truth seekers, humble and open, to tyrants unable to accept that THEY might just be the ones who are wrong.
Islam, as well as Christianity, preaches pacifism. (I'm a Buddist, so I'm not taking sides here.) But you'd never know that from listening to pathetic douchebags like Pat Robertson or Jerry Fallwell or Osama Bin Laden or Charles Krauthammer.

Let's see...we have democratically-elected governments in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and now Palestine. We have monarchies in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and all of the Arab Emirates. The U.S. Government cooperates with the monarchies and resists cooperation with the democracies. Something is wrong with this picture.

This just proves that pushing/spreading DEMOCRACY is not always in the US's best interest. If all the MEastern countries had free elections, we in the US/West would be in trouble beacuse we probably wouldn't have relations with any of them. Voting for politicians does not make a democracy. You need to have the independent institutions in place ie.
-free press
-independent court
-viable constitution
-somwhat educated population
What did the Palestinians have to lose. They have not gained anything under moderate leadership, so I quess time for a change. I still pray that both sides can come to some thoughtful resolution. To many on both sides have suffered for far to long.

Hitler and his national socialists also came to power through an open democratic election. Democracy isn't just a form of majority rule. Without a constitution that respects religious freedom and a bill of rights, religious fascists will grab power and never relinquish it, ruining all chances for peace. Arabs constitute over 20 percent of Israel's home population. Jews cannot live in Palestinian areas for fear of their lives. There is now not a single Jew left in Gaza. Who is really racist and who really practices ethnic cleansing? Who still believes in completely destroying one side in the conflict? Who believes in a Muslim state from the Jordon River to the sea? Wake up, folks! This plus Iran with nuclear weapons is leading to war. No doubt about it.

Well, it was obvious that the Fatah was not getting anywhere with the peace process by being nice and saying please, so I don't think anyone, including myself, should be surprised that the Palestinians would see if another Political party might do better. The Israelis might, rightly, blame Bush, but they are as much responsible for the rise of Hamas as Bush. When Sharon trotted around the al-Aqsa mosque, it was obvious he was trying to kill Oslo. From the Jorden to the sea was also Sharon's matra. He was the flip side of Hamas. They both want the whole country for their side. Since Arafat was sidelined, I have expected a contest between Hamas and Sharon's Likud for total control of Israel/Palestine. What surprised me was his abandonment of Likud, and Hamas running the Palestinian Authority. Now, if Israel and Hamas won't negotiate a peace agreement, it will be a battle to the death between Hamas and Sharon's heirs. The United States will be useless in solving this problem as it's foreign policy is run by Neoconservatives who are closely associated with the Likud.
It is my hope that the Bush Administration will not try to bungle their way through this mess they have helped create, and it is definitely not in our NATIONAL INTEREST to send American troops into that mess.

The people have spoken. Like it or not, the choice was theirs. IF we are truly democratic, including Israel, it will respect the voice of the people and work with the results. That is the true test...for both entities.
People are often what you make them to be. Treat them with respect, professionalism, and dignity, so should you receive in return.

The Hamas victory illustrates the weakness of Bush's policies in the Mideast. In the absence of policies for improving people's daily lives, the democratic process can predictably produce a contrary result, like the Hamas victory. Too bad for Bush/Cheney, when promoting democracy abroad, they did not transplant Florida and our Supreme Court to Gaza.

I show my true colors, but seriously, why has not this administration considered the obvious dynamic in the Arab and Muslim world? Without other initiatives challenging the status quo and giving people a sense of hope and improvement, simply promoting democracy benefits radical Islamic parties the most. This administration is so blinded by their own narrow world view that time and time again they have proven to be breathtakingly incompetent.

That is not to deny that the immediate cause of the Hamas victory can be laid to corruption in Fatah and the lack of progress in negotiations with Israel. But the same kind of dynamic exists in different circumstances and contexts in Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan, Syria, and so on.

Laying the groundwork for democracy is a painstaking process and empty slogans dressed up as policies and backed only by the barrel of a gun, are not going to go far. With this disaster of an election the Bush administration has reaped what is has sewn. Unfortunately, we should expect more successes of this kind.

Except for President Bush's calm comments in his press conference today, in the US, Ms. Rice and Radio and TV commentators reacted with shock and awe at the Hamas victory, something they have been heaping on Iran of late. On TV, some of the facial expressions were of total surprise. One gets the impression they would have wanted Mr. Sharon to endorse Fatah so it would have had a better chance. Re recent events in Latin America, these people seem to have been equally out-of-the-loop. They need help badly, really badly.

I read Mr. Sender's comments. I agree; what did the US government expect? I would imagine Secty. Rice is going to be extremely busy.

It seems the American media and Washington Post are doing their part to whitewash the Israeli occupation as one of the main reasons for the Hamas victory. Neither the US or Israel respected international law, settlements were expanded in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the responsibilities of an occupied power were ignored over the 40 year occupation, the wall was extended despite what the international court said -- and President Abbas couldn't do anything to stop it. So the Palestinan voters went with another option - Fatah corruption was a second tier issue.

First Bush *fails* to do his "most solemn duty" (protect the US from attack) in 2000 and 2001.

Then Bush invades/occupys Iraq and creates an Islamic republic with extremly close and very long stand ties with Iran.

Now, due too Bush's policies in the ME, Hamastan has been born.

What's next?

In the liberal daily Haaretz. "The results prove that Israel was right when it warned the United States that freedom of choice in the Arab world would award leadership to extremist Islamist movements and not to secular, liberal candidates."

Can Democracy Stop Terrorism?
F. Gregory Gause III
From Foreign Affairs, September/October 2005

Summary: The Bush administration contends that the push for democracy in the Muslim world will improve U.S. security. But this premise is faulty: there is no evidence that democracy reduces terrorism. Indeed, a democratic Middle East would probably result in Islamist governments unwilling to cooperate with Washington.

We have all seen clearly that Bush only believes in democracy when it suits him and American interests; he is completely biased when it comes to Israel.
America has on many occasions vetoed any UN resolution against Israel without giving any explanation. What explanation can there be for this bias? There is no other logical explanation except that the Jewish lobby has America in an armlock.

Actually, the Israelis are probably quite happy to see Hamas ruling the Palestinian Arabs. Any attack on Israel must now be viewed as attack by the Palestinian political entity as a whole and would result in, I expect, a quite vicious and thorough retaliation against the Palestinian people. No longer could a so-called government of the Palestinians stroke it's beard and ofer condolences when Israeli citizens are targeted. I think that Hamas must instantly act responsibly in attaining political power or suffer the consequences of an easily subdued militia when having to deal with the warmaking ability of Israel.

Actually, the Israelis are probably quite happy to see Hamas ruling the Palestinian Arabs. Any attack on Israel must now be viewed as attack by the Palestinian political entity as a whole and would result in, I expect, a quite vicious and thorough retaliation against the Palestinian people. No longer could a so-called government of the Palestinians stroke it's beard and offer condolences when Israeli citizens are targeted. I think that Hamas must instantly act responsibly in attaining political power or suffer the consequences of an easily subdued militia when having to deal with the warmaking ability of Israel.

Al, I'm not Muslim, but I can tell you that at root Islam is very similar in ethical beliefs to Christianity. Muslims are peace loving people. Please remember fundmentalist Christians have done terrible things to Muslims, Jews, and other people. Do we remember the reformation & counter reformation? The Crusades? Christians kill eachother quite a bit too. Northern Ireland.

Thank God Church & State are separated in the US, for now.

This is the most ridiculous forum I've ever seen. What a bunch of blowhards from all sides and all political persuasions. All of you people need to get a freakin' life.

What are you so scared of?

It was inevitable. Fatah has missed every opportunity to govern the Palestinians. You can't blame the Arabs for giving Hamas a chance.

Let's not panic. Let's wait and see what happens.

Here's a wild idea: Israel, with its superior technological skills could offer free consultation to the new Palestinian government on setting up a successful economy that provides employment and progress. Like a Marshall Plan. Europe could provide the money and Israel could provide the skills.

I still can't figure out for the life of me while we're always coming down on the side of Israel. They've done some pretty atrocious things in their history too, and just like everyone else in this world maybe they need to learn to get along with the other kids in the sandbox.

In case anyone is looking for some interesting reading, take a couple minutes and Google - Palestine White Paper, Sykes-Picot Treaty, and the Balfour Agreement among others. Follow the links, its interesting and you certainly don't hear that side of the story.

AS: Help us out. What's the "other side of the story?" Just the three main ideas, please. Thanks.

After watching the Palestinians dancing in the streets when hijacked planes flew into the trade centers, I really could care less about the Palestinians or who leads them. I think, in the long run, they will get what they deserve, which is very little from anyone including God.

Why is it simply accepted that the incipient Palestinian state has to be Jew-free? That's the meaning of 'uprooting settlements'. Even if the settlements are in places where the Jews have lived throughout their history. Why doesn't this seem to bother anybody?

Do you think any of the Palestinian Arabs ever wonder how things might have turned out if the Arab nations surrounding Israel had not gone to war in 1948 against Israel and three times after that?

What if the Arabs had welcomed the establishment of the Jewish State? The Israelis were bringing democracy, literacy, a highly educated population and a strong motivation to succeed.

What if the Arabs, instead of killing Jews, had tried to learn from the Jews?

Now 58 years later, the Palestinians could have had a democratic government, full employment and a European standard of living - a lot better than what they have actually. Maybe now the Palestinians will decide that fighting the Jews is a losing proposition and will decide to give peace a chance. Just maybe.

Can you hear that sound? It's already started. That's the chorus of Jews singing in unison how this is all the fault of the US for forcing democratic elections in Palestine. (which is false, but anyway...) About how the Palestinians are incapable of living in peace. About how we should have dealt with them with an iron fist. About how the Jews are NEVER responsible and are ALWAYS the victims.
Fact is, it's never been possible to steal a country without causing a war. It still isn't.

This is not the first time Palestinians have free democratic elections...Arafat was freely and democratically elected in 1994.

Note that all of this is happening under a vicious 35 years-old military occupation that is in violation of many UN resolutions and of international law.

I urge people to not forget that about 5 million Israeli are occupying by the use of military force 3.4 million Palestinians.

What's the use of playing the "victim" game? Everybody can complain about injustices. The only wortwhile thing to do is to live the best possible life you can.

This is where the Palestinians have failed miserably. Instead of trying to move ahead, they kill Jews and ask for sympathy. How much sympathy do they get? Just about zero.

They live in deep poverty with high unemployment and sewage running in the streets - and they blame the Jews.

Are they doing any thing to help themselves? What? They kill Jews. A lot of good it does them. Stupid!

Oh, yeah. The Palestinians elected Arafat in 1994. Brilliant! What a noble leader he turned out to be. He stole all the money contributed by the Europeans, sent his wife and daughter to Paris - gave his wife $22 million and distributed hundreds of millions to his cronies and kept the Palestionian people in the deepest poverty.

He encouraged Palestinian women to raise huge families so he could beat the Jews by the sheer power of numbers.

What a disaster Arafat and Fatah turned out to be!

Will Hamas be any better? Maybe, but with their doctrine of hate and death to Israel they do not seem to be any better than Arafat and Fatah. What's their positive plan for economic development? Do they have one? Or is it all about death and destruction?

Hamas won the vote, but it is hardly a democracy. Lovely to see Hamas people storming government buildings with guns and breaking windows after they won.

Now we will see the true Palestinian face. Hamas either better wise up and join the civilised world, or its days are numered.

Congratulations to the Palestinians for electing a group that is committed to teh destruction of Israel.
Boy, and we thought the Palestinians were peace loving people.
So when they were cheering each suicide bomb (and 9/11), I guess they DID REFLECT the majority after all!
And these people want an independent country???

Just as the Germans knew exactly what they had voted for in 1933, so too have the Palestinians made the same choice. Like the Germans, the Palestinians too may pay a heavy price for voting in a terrorist group committed to their neighbour's destruction.

For the optimists, this vote and Hamas' victory are positive signs of Arab/Muslim democracy in action. For the pessimists (including yours truly) this episode, much like the election of Hitler in the 30s, will serves as simply a sign that some races/ethnic groups/religions will opt for totalitarianism if given the chance. I suspect that the Arab world generally does not want a democracy or republican form of government, only a Caliphate.

Warning From a Student of Democracy's Collapse

By Chris Hedges

01/06/05 "New York Times" -- FRITZ STERN, a refugee from Hitler's Germany and a leading scholar of European history, startled several of his listeners when he warned in a speech about the danger posed in this country by the rise of the Christian right. In his address in November, just after he received a prize presented by the German foreign minister, he told his audience that Hitler saw himself as "the instrument of providence" and fused his "racial dogma with a Germanic Christianity."

"Some people recognized the moral perils of mixing religion and politics," he said of prewar Germany, "but many more were seduced by it. It was the pseudo-religious transfiguration of politics that largely ensured his success, notably in Protestant areas."

Dr. Stern's speech, given during a ceremony at which he got the prize from the Leo Baeck Institute, a center focused on German Jewish history, was certainly provocative. The fascism of Nazi Germany belongs to a world so horrendous it often seems to defy the possibility of repetition or analogy. But Dr. Stern, 78, the author of books like "The Politics of Cultural Despair: A Study in the Rise of the Germanic Ideology" and university professor emeritus at Columbia University, has devoted a lifetime to analyzing how the Nazi barbarity became possible. He stops short of calling the Christian right fascist but his decision to draw parallels, especially in the uses of propaganda, was controversial.

"When I saw the speech my eyes lit up," said John R. MacArthur, whose book "Second Front" examines wartime propaganda. "The comparison between the propagandistic manipulation and uses of Christianity, then and now, is hidden in plain sight. No one will talk about it. No one wants to look at it."

Dr. Stern was a schoolboy in 1933 when Hitler was appointed the German chancellor. He ran home from school that January afternoon clutching a special edition of the newspaper to deliver to his father, a prominent physician.

"I was young," he said, "but I knew it was very bad news."

The street fighting in his native Breslau (now Wroclaw in Poland) between Communists and Nazis, the collapse of German democracy and the ruthless suppression of all opposition marked his childhood, and were images and experiences that would propel him forward as a scholar.

"I saw one of the last public demonstrations against Hitler," he said. "Men, women and children walked through the street and chanted 'Hunger! Hunger! Hunger!' "

His paternal grandparents had converted to Christianity. His parents were baptized at birth, as were Mr. Stern and his older sister. But this did not save the Sterns from persecution. Nazi racial laws still classified them as Jews.

"It was only Nazi anti-Semitism that made me conscious of my Jewish heritage," he said. "I had been brought up in a secular Christian fashion, celebrating Christmas and Easter. My father had to explain it to me."

His schoolmates were swiftly recruited into Hitler youth groups and he and other Jews were taunted and excluded from some activities.

"Many of my classmates found the organized party experience, which included a heavy dose of flag waving and talk of national strength, very exhilarating," said Dr. Stern, who lost an aunt and an uncle in the Holocaust. "It was something I never forgot."

His family fled to New York in 1938 when he was 12. He eventually went to Columbia University intending to study medicine. But his passion for the past, along with questions about what happened to his homeland, caused him to switch his focus to history. He wanted to grasp how democracies disintegrate. He wanted to uncover the warning signs other democracies should heed. He wanted to write about the seductiveness of authoritarian movements, which he once described in an essay, "National Socialism as Temptation."

"There was a longing in Europe for fascism before the name was ever invented," he said. "There was a longing for a new authoritarianism with some kind of religious orientation and above all a greater communal belongingness. There are some similarities in the mood then and the mood now, although also significant differences."

HE warns of the danger in an open society of "mass manipulation of public opinion, often mixed with mendacity and forms of intimidation." He is a passionate defender of liberalism as "manifested in the spirit of the Enlightenment and the early years of the American republic."

"The radical right and the radical left see liberalism's appeal to reason and tolerance as the denial of their uniform ideology," he said. "Every democracy needs a liberal fundament, a Bill of Rights enshrined in law and spirit, for this alone gives democracy the chance for self-correction and reform. Without it, the survival of democracy is at risk. Every genuine conservative knows this."

Dr. Stern, who has two children from a previous marriage, is married to Elizabeth Sifton, a book publisher. They live in New York. He is writing a book called "Five Germanys I Have Known," a combination of memoirs and reflections that looks at Weimar, Nazi Germany, the Federal Republic of Germany, East Germany and unified Germany. He is widely read in Germany and has won its highest literary prize.

"The Jews in Central Europe welcomed the Russian Revolution," he said, "but it ended badly for them. The tacit alliance between the neo-cons and the Christian right is less easily understood. I can imagine a similarly disillusioning outcome."

Correction: January 7, 2005, Friday:

The Public Lives profile yesterday, about Fritz Stern, the scholar of European history who has recently warned of the danger of the rise of the Christian right in the United States, misspelled his wife's given name. She is Elisabeth Sifton, not Elizabeth.

Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

I just feel sorry for Ariel Sharon, who missed by a few weeks seeing this, the culmination of his recent work. He would have been thrilled by this result. Finally, no more pressure from foreigners to negotiate away chunks of Eretz Israel Hashlema in return for peace.

Likudniks don't fear terrorists, who cause casualties that Israel can sustain indefinitely. They fear truce and negotiation.

Hamas is impotent and their violence will get them nowhere. The Wall really does work.

Far from being an earthquake, this result will fix the status quo in place.

I also feel sorry for poor old GW. Having apparently devoted his life to promoting democracy and crushing terrorism in the MidEast, he now sees a declared terrorist organisation winning a democratic election. He must be having some sort of mental short-circuit.

He's not alone in his delusion. Most of the world has swallowed the myth that democratic states are peaceful. You need only look at America to see it ain't necessarily so.

Perhaps it's shock that kept Bush's remarks subdued this evening. I'd say he deserves credit for not overreacting to Hamas' victory...but knowing him, the truth is he probably just hasn't figured out how to react.

The Palestinians are experts in terrorism---Arafat was the godfather. From hijacking and blowing upplanes, murdering Olympic athletes, to killing children in schools, blowing up buses and restaurants, voting in Hamas perhaps reflects these people best.

To any Palestinians reading this blog: do you prefer not having a state? Is this why you voted in Hamas? Because to be sure, there are other choices besides Hamas and Fatah.
Want peace and state of your own? Better wise up and fast!

To Ishmael, Syria is not a democracy. As for these other "democracies" youmention...please!

Realist,

You wrote:

"Oh, yeah. The Palestinians elected Arafat in 1994. Brilliant! What a noble leader he turned out to be. He stole all the money contributed by the Europeans, sent his wife and daughter to Paris - gave his wife $22 million and distributed hundreds of millions to his cronies and kept the Palestinian people in the deepest poverty."

That's not what made Palestinians poor.

22 million wouldn't do much when 3.4 million people live under an inhumane military occupation that denies them the basic right to self-determination and the right to live free of forceful occupation.

Would Israeli-Jews accept to live again in Ghettos in return of billions of dollars flowing into their de-facto prisons?

They wouldn't, and rightly so.

People can hardly have ambitions or think of an opportunity to enhance their lives when their freedom has been taken away from them by force for more than 35 years.

Arafat is, to Palestinians, a hero; He is someone who stood by their rights until his last breath. If he truly didn't care for them as you suggested, he would have left them for money a long time ago.

Carol,

Palestinians right to their own state is not tied to the type of goverment they elect.

If they elect the wrong people (I m no supporter of Hamas), well they will have another chance to elect others in the future.

If Israel ends its occupation, maybe Palestians would not seek a government that, in their eyes, would do better in protecting their rights in their homeland against the occupation.

End the illegal occupation.

It has been more than 35 years already!

What else does Israel want from these people. They will not leave their homes.

Stop supporting Isreal already. If they really wanted a place to live in peace thay woudn't have picked the one in the middle of the arab neighbourhood. It is clear what they want and they won't get it.

Realist- Just read it. Nothing wrong with some additional knowledge right?

If I tell you the story then I take away the opportunity for you to come to your own conclusions.

Anyone who thinks that Hamas will become a moderate once in power, is sadly mistaken. Hamas will be a leading political party in parliament. As we have learned in this country (USA), once in parliament the leading political party rarely restrains itself. Rather, the leading party pushes its ideology and political platform. Perhaps Hamas will discover the inherent contradictions of its ideology once in power. But, will it become moderate? I doubt it. What reason do they have to become moderate? After all they are no longer the "outsiders" of the political process for four decades. Now they have a lion share of the political and popular landscape.

All the same, I don't think Israelis can in good conscious criticize the Palestinians. After all, they did the same thing when they elected Sharon.

I really don't see any immediate problem with Hamas winning the elections for several reasons:

1) The United States and Europe currently support the Palestinians with massive amounts of money. Already, there is talk of cutting off this supply of cash if Hamas does not moderate their world view. The native Palestinian economy is already in grave danger, but if funding is cut off, this will really plunge the area into economic depression. Quite an effective lever to influence Hamas's behavior.

2) Now Hamas has to put their money where their mouth is. They have to live up to the promises they made to the people. From what I've read and people I've spoken with, most Palestinians are weary of the killing and the conflict. If Hamas doesn't start moderating their behavior and language, like someone said before, they'll be out of power after one term. They also have a responsibility to clean up all the supposed corruption rampant in the current government. This is why most Palestinians voted for them in the first place, and again vindicates my belief that people vote for particular candidates for domestic reasons, not foreign policy.

Richard Haas, director of the Council on Foreign Relations, says this is actually a very good opportunity for the US and Europe to help morph Hamas into a political movement, rather than a terrorist organization. He said the situation was very much like the PLO and IRA, both of which have (mostly) moved away from using violence for political ends. If Hamas wants to be taken seriously, they will need to change their tune now that they're in the "real world". I think we'll either see some major changes or a fractioning of Hamas into those who want a peaceful solution and those who do not.

Though it may be ugly and painful, promoting democratic reform in the Middle East is one of the only somewhat intelligent foreign policy moves this presidency has made. The fact is, we're going to have to deal with democratically elected governments that may not like us very much if we're going to promote democratic reform. The entire strategy is rooted in the idea that democracy is a much more potent weapon in the "war on terror" than military action. Governments may get elected that do not like us, but at least the people of the middle east can say that we started doing at least one thing right: giving the people the right to choose their own leaders. And remember, even though a democratically elected government may be somewhat hostile to the US, economic concerns and good old fashioned practical realities have a way of changing peoples' perspectives. We at least have to give Hamas the chance to prove they can govern responsibly.

Many posters who claim to be for democracy show their true side by being upset about the Hammas victory. This is what happens in a democracy so why the complaining?

Hamas now works for the Palestinian people and if they do not uphold their promises to take care of the people, then it will demonstrate they were not a legitimate group, but a farce just like their opponents. Give them a chance!

Israel is as much to blame as any for this one. The brutal occupation has alienated and entire generation of Palestinians. They could have been a bit more helpful by heaping concessions on the moderate Abbas to shore him up, but continued to do whatever the hell they wanted. Giving up Gaza was a good thing, although primarily a Sharon ploy for grabbing as much as possible of the West Bank. You subjugate a people for 40 years, and there are consequences.

Brian: Though it may be ugly and painful, promoting democratic reform in the Middle East is one of the only somewhat intelligent foreign policy moves this presidency has made.

Intelligent?

How so?

Do you have any *evidence* democratic reform in the Middle East is intelligent with re to the interests of the USA?

Some think trying to instantly force Western democracy upon countries not having gone through the proper stages is STUPID.

Can Democracy Stop Terrorism?
F. Gregory Gause III
From Foreign Affairs, September/October 2005

Summary: The Bush administration contends that the push for democracy in the Muslim world will improve U.S. security. But this premise is faulty: there is no evidence that democracy reduces terrorism. Indeed, a democratic Middle East would probably result in Islamist governments unwilling to cooperate with Washington.

Are we for democracy or are we not?
Freedom of choice in the US has saddled the world with a President whom few people see as helping the world get nearer to peace. A government that actively supports global warming, even at the cost of New Orleans. And so on.
Israel has a government, lawfully elected, that occupies illegaly a foreign country.
The kind of arrogant comment, such as Haaretz's above, leads to electors' belief that the so-called extremists are right. If Hamas would like to be rid of Israel, don't many Israelis wish Palestine and the Palestinians away?

The election outcome signals a dramatic failure in the administration's strategy for Middle East peace, according to analysts and some U.S. officials. Since the United States cannot deal with an organization labeled a terrorist organization by the State Department, Hamas's victory is likely to curtail U.S. aid, limit official U.S. contacts with the Palestinian government and stall efforts to create an independent Palestinian state.

More broadly, Hamas's victory is seen as a setback in the administration's campaign for greater democracy in the Middle East. Elections in Iran, Iraq, Egypt and now the Palestinian territories have resulted in the defeat of secular and moderate parties and the rise of Islamic parties hostile to U.S. interests.

U.S. Policy Is Big Loser in Palestinian Elections
By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 28, 2006; Page A16

Where's the big apocalypse? This is business as usual. It's not as though Fatah were the good guys. The only difference is that Hamas is more honest about their intentions.

President Bush says you can't be peaceful if your party has an armed wing: what about the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades? Few Palestinians have ever wanted peace, that's why abu Mazen couldn't (or wouldn't) rein in Islamic fundamentalism.

Michael Pace: Are we for democracy or are we not?

What kind did you have in mind?

Extremist Islamic Democracy?

E.g.:

Hamastan, i.e. the one Bush directly and inadvertently created in Palestine?

Or Iraq, i.e. the one Bush directly and inadvertently created in Iraq?

The former is made up of Islamic terrorists from Hamas; they wish to liquidate the Jews.

The later is made of Iraqis who are extremely close to Iran which also wants to liquidate the Jews.

So, is your question are we for democratically elected countries sworn to liquidate the Jews?

Sounds like something Bush should have asked *before* he became the cheerleader of Messers Cheney, Rumsield, Wolfowitz, et al who have been writing, talking, etc about the `democratization' of the ME since the 1990s.

Welcome to Hamastan
A new terrorist state has been born.

By Joel C. Rosenberg

Cairo, Egypt -- "Hamas By The Numbers" -- a fact sheet produced by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee -- provides a chilling snapshot of the jihadist group formally known as the Islamic Resistance Movement.

Since 1989, Hamas has carried out more than 100 major terrorist attacks, killing more than 500.
Hamas has launched more than 300 Qassam rockets at Israeli towns.

84% of Israelis killed in these attacks have been civilians.

27 Americans have been killed in Hamas attacks since 1993.

Hamas has been on the U.S.-terrorist list for the past eight years.

The European Union added Hamas to its terrorist list two years ago.

Hamas receives $3 million a year from Iran.

Now a new bullet point can be added:
On January 25, 2006, "Hamastan" -- the world's newest terrorist state -- was born.

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/rosenberg200601261359.asp

How do you like your democracy now, Mr. Bush?

Hamas' stunning victory underlines the contradictions and hypocrisies in Bush's Mideast policies.

How do you like your democracy now, Mr. Bush?

[snip]
Bush has boxed himself into an impossible situation. He promoted elections that have produced results opposite of the ones he wanted. For all his constant rhetoric about his determination to hunt down and kill terrorists, in Palestine he has in effect helped install into power a group he calls "terrorists." His confusion over whether this is democracy, which should be legitimate, or is an unacceptable outcome -- and his unwillingness to address the underlying issues behind the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- suggest that a fatal paralysis will continue to afflict the region.

(Juan Cole is a professor of modern Middle Eastern and South Asian history at the University of Michigan and the author of "Sacred Space and Holy War" (IB Tauris, 2002).

I get the eerie feeling that the people behind the US administration (NeoCons) are looking for a 'worthy' enemy to justify their military budget, bases etc and they are amply succeeding in that ambition - with rise of Iran, Iraq etc.
I am not sure they have factored in China and Russia. It is Cold War - Part 2, more unpredictable and even more dangerous.

The bank door has just swung wide open for Palastine and the account will be filled. The American/European monatery credit is not the only funding source available. Militarism is for barbarians. Money is the end game.

"President Bush says you can't be peaceful if your party has an armed wing."

Gee, does he also say that when referring to the Shiite parties just elected to power in Iraq?

The Israeli People elected Hamas with their heavy handed treatment of the Palestinian People since the election of Abbas. The rush to build the new "iron curtain" , destruction of olive trees and lack of accesss to west bank palestinian farm lands, asasinations of palestinian leaders were all votes for a radical government in Palestine! So why are the zionists crying now ! They have been asking for this with their actions for the last 40+ years . As an american i would love to see aid cut to both Israel and Palestine, We need the money here to solve our own problems. Maybe if both sides are starving there they will learn to work together!!!!

If every one holds each other hands, there will be no problem in the God giftted world & every one will live in PEACE.

What a wonderful world, it looks like Hitler won the war, that it, if anyone bother to read the Hamas Charter. article 22, 28 and 32 are guaranteed entertainment.

http://www.palestinecenter.org/cpap/documents/charter.html

...and this is their own site, their own words, their constitution. Obviously they all could use a drink to calm themselves down a bit, but what is the excuse of others how are wondering what is Hamas agenda?

So....Bush wants Arab world democracy huh? But only if the outcome suits him! The Palestinians had an honest democratic election. Live with it, Bush. Ask for their plan to attract investment in the economy. Do not focus on the extremist facets, but how they will serve ALL Palestinian people. If it is bad enough, the people will cause its' demise.