Editorial: Terrorists win election

Friday, Jan. 27, 2006 | 7:38 a.m.

Hamas, the terrorist organization that has carried out unrelenting suicide bombing attacks against the people of Israel, won a landslide victory in Wednesday's Palestinian elections. Hamas won 76 seats in the 132-member Parliament, easily beating the corruption-plagued Fatah Party, which Yasser Arafat founded and which has been the governing party of the Palestinian Authority.

The Hamas victory immediately raised doubts about the viability of the Mideast peace process. How could Israel possibly reach an agreement with Hamas, which has called for Israel's destruction?

President Bush, asked about the developments during his press conference Thursday, sought to take a positive approach, saying that the elections "remind us of the power of democracy. ... When you give people the vote and give themselves a chance to express themselves at the polls, and if they're unhappy about the status quo, they'll let you know."

It is tough to know for certain how much of a role that dissatisfaction with corruption played in Fatah's defeat, but it nevertheless is ominous that people would be willing to give a terrorist group such as Hamas control of their parliament.

We were glad to see that Bush made it clear that the U.S. government won't deal with Hamas until it renounces both violence and its call for the destruction of Israel. "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," he said.

Even if Hamas were to suddenly renounce violence, however, it is difficult to see how anyone could take the terrorist group at its word. Declaring an end to violence isn't the same thing as truly laying down your arms.

Israel -- one of the United States' most important and trusted allies, and the only stable, democratic nation in the Mideast -- has suffered greatly from terrorist attacks waged by Hamas and other like-minded groups.

As important as the peace process is, it is critical that the United States stay firm in its support of Israel's policy of refusing to negotiate with terrorist groups simply masquerading as political parties. That is an area where there is no room for compromise.