Hamas wins sweeping election victory in Palestine

[Cadaverous Pallor]

There are many stories on this, here's one.

The basics as I understand them - The old party, Fatah, has been the one and only power for decades. The Palestinian people were majorly pissed because there is general lawlessness and lack of public services as well. Fatah was known to be horribly corrupt, and bloody infighting has become readily apparent in the new Gaza since the Israelis pulled out.

Hamas is, as most of you know, a known terrorist organization that continually sets off car bombs in Israel. Their charter pushes that Israel has no right to exist. They're a heavily armed militia.

What I didn't know is that Hamas is also a charitable organization of sorts. They set up health care and other social services in Palestinian territory - often, the only such services offered in those areas.

Exit polls revealed that most people voted for Hamas because they were voting against the old party. This way, Hamas pulled in all the moderate votes. Most of the populace does not support Hamas' hard line, and most support the peace process.

So what now? Hamas is going to come under immense pressure from the rest of the world to recognize Israel, disarm, and work towards peace.

The short version of my opinion is that I think they'll split up into political and violent factions so that they can talk peace and kill Israelis at the same time....

Thoughts?