<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> WorldTribune.com: Mobile Ñ Hamas seen as winner in any West Bank election

Hamas seen as winner in any West Bank election

Wednesday, May 20, 2009   E-Mail this story   Free Headline Alerts

JERUSALEM Ñ Israel's intelligence community has determined that Hamas, despite a crackdown by the Palestinian Authority, would still should any election be held in the West Bank.

The intelligence community has asserted that Hamas would beat Fatah in elections in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2009. They said Hamas retains the support of a solid majority of the Muslim community, including leading Palestinian clans.

"If the Palestinian Authority were to hold general elections now, it is highly likely that Hamas would win," Israel Security Agency director Yuval Diskin said.

[On May 19, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas appointed a 20-member Cabinet without Hamas ministers. The new government, threatened by a boycott from the ruling Fatah movement, would be led by incumbent Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, regarded as an ally of the United States.]

In a briefing to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Diskin said Hamas, despite a PA crackdown, has retained control over its large educational and social welfare network in the West Bank. He said Hamas also controlled most of the mosques and related charities in the area.

Officials said Hamas was particularly strong in West Bank cities. They cited Bethlehem, Hebron, Kalkilya, Nablus and Tulkarm.

"Any election [in the West Bank] would be seen as a second victory for Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood in this area and would have a dangerous impact on the whole region, particularly in neighboring countries," Diskin said.

Diskin said the Fatah-dominated PA was aware of Hamas's strength in the West Bank. As a result, he said, Fatah and Hamas stood little chance in reaching an agreement to form a unity government.

"Hamas will never relinquish its hold on Gaza and the PA will never relinquish the West Bank," Diskin said. "A unity government will form only under extreme international pressure."

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