[Editorial] Hamas' Victory and Middle East Peace

The armed group Hamas has won an overwhelming victory in Palestine's democratically held general election, and that means major changes in the political situation in the Middle East. The countries immediately concerned need to accept this new reality and pool their wisdom together to make progress in peace.

Long considered a terrorist organization by Western nations, Hamas' victory means Palestinians were very dissatisfied not only with the ruling Fatah party's corruption and incompetence, but also with Israeli and American hard-line policy. That means it could make working for peace even more difficult, hard as it was already. Hamas' election win can also be seen in the larger context of the rise of Islamist political forces in the Middle East in the wake of the American invasion of Iraq. The aggressive foreign policy of the administration of U.S. president George W. Bush, who seeks to transplant Western-style democracy in the region, is again being put to the test.

What is most important right now that the changed realities be seen for what they are and that a new framework for peace is created. It is inappropriate for the U.S. to continue to say it is not going to talk to Hamas and for it to even talk of halting aid for Palestine. All a hard-line approach will do is bring about a hard-line reaction. There are far more advantages than disadvantages, in terms of national unity, to having an armed organization enter the established political process.

Hamas, for its part, needs to work to assure the world that it is a responsible political force. The first step will be forming a cabinet of national unity. It also needs to bring the various armed groups into the framework of state policy so that they operate in a rational manner. The countries immediately concerned need to meet the new government in a legitimate format and bring realistic peace proposals to the table. The spirit of the "land for peace" exchange of the Oslo peace accords is still valid.

The Hankyoreh, 28 January 2006.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]