Palestinian elections - as noted on this site - were held and won recently by the terrorist group Hamas. This victory has left many people uncomfortable. "Hamas' charter explicitly calls for Israel's destruction," reports Jewish Voice for Peace. The United States, unhappy with the newly democratically elected leaders in Palestine, has threatened to withhold financial support from the Palestinian Authority to protest the results.
Jewish Voice for Peace is urging the US not to cut off aid and has sent out the following action alert to their supporters:
Tell Your Congressional representatives, the President and the Secretary of State that Americans do not wish to cause innocent Palestinians to suffer because our government is unhappy with the outcome of the Palestinians' democratic election.
Several bills now pending in Congress call for the withholding of aid in the wake of Hamas' victory in the elections. US funds do not go to the Palestinian Authority but instead provide development assistance, humanitarian aid, and vital support for building democratic institutions in the West Bank and Gaza.
Take action now to send a clear message that Americans won't stand by while Palestinians are punished for exercising their democratic rights.
Click here if you wish to sign the statement.
Jewish Voice for Peace has additional background information concerning Hamas on their web site.
Christian leaders have also been weighing in on the election results.
The Rev. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ and Dr. Peter Makari, Executive for Europe and the Middle East, Common Global Ministries Board of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) issued the following statement:
....further marginalization of the Palestinians imperils its people and abandons both Palestinians and Israelis hoping for a just and secure resolution to the conflict. Members of Congress have introduced punitive legislation to cut off direct US aid and funding of UN programs for Palestinian refugees and human rights monitoring, although these same members have historically restricted such aid when the Administration was attempting to encourage more amenable Palestinian leadership. Most US assistance is directed through the US Agency for International Development to Palestinian NGOs or through Israeli-controlled accounts. The US should honor its financial commitments made in recent years to alleviate Palestinian suffering and back up US policy to seek a two-state solution.
Palestinians have voted with hope to improve their worsening condition, including progress toward achieving a state. Contact the President and State Department telling them to do these things: first, to affirm their call to HAMAS to renounce violence and recognize Israel; second, to resist Congressional calls to cut off assistance for the Palestinian people; and third, to maintain US commitment to pursue a viable Palestinian state by encouraging moderation of the parties and renewed negotiations.
The World Council of Churches is also calling on Western governments to show support for the people of Palestine in the post-election period:
Engagement of the new Palestinian Authority is needed by virtue of its mandate to serve the public good. Obstructionist policies, such as withholding public funds, will have grave consequences. At the human level, church-related agencies that provide medical care to the Palestinian population are already warning of immediate and acute health consequences for needy people because those who control Palestinian tax monies destined for health services are withholding funds. Indiscriminate withholding of aid will have the same effect.
On a far larger scale, hasty isolation of a government that includes Hamas over aspects of the movement's past will further exacerbate the West's already deeply scarred relations with the people of the Muslim world. At worst, isolation and stigmatisation become a self-fulfilling prophecy that greater political and cultural conflict lie ahead. Current incidents--fuelled by exclusionist perceptions on both sides--make this painfully clear.
Support for the new Palestinian government should be forth coming but also be tentative. Hamas must show the world they are committed to peace. "HAMAS has discussed removing language in its charter condoning terrorism and denying Israel's right to exist--and it is imperative that it does so," wrote the UCC's John Thomas. Westerners will quickly abandon the Palestinian government if evidence suggests HAMAS condones or participates in new acts of violence. But support for the Israeli government will also continue to erode if it is suspected that the government is in any way trying to exploit the situation. The long history of Israeli human rights abuses against Palestinians is a contributing factor to the HAMAS victory. The Israeli government will only do further damage to security in the region if they do not fully engage in the peace process and abide by international human rights standards.
Related Link: A Wake Up Call: Sabeel's Statement on the New Realities in Palestine
Related Link: "The Palestinian Election," A statement issued by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches of Jerusalem
Related Post: Anti-Defamation League Wrong To Attack United Church Of Christ
