hamas wins it all...

not all, actually, but certainly a clear majority in yesterday's palestinian parliamentary elections - the new york times is reporting that hamas has won 76 seats in the 132-member legislative council.

my immediate reaction to reading this was to grieve for an as-of-yet nonexistent middle east peace. hamas' past history and its political policies make it an unlikely partner for collaboration with the israeli government, even a government that seems to have accepted the reality of a palestinian state. so what does that say about the palestinians? are the majority of them really committed to an ongoing conflict and the destruction of israel?

perhaps. given the situation in which palestinians have been placed - by israel, to be sure, but also by jordan and egypt and the rest of the arab world - it really wouldn't surprise me if most of them were willing to accept hamas' political ideology, so long as they can get food on the table and give their children an education. because the thing is, this election wasn't about the peace process. it was about survival - every day needs.

it's funny, from the outside people think about the middle east and how much the issue of peace dominates the political landscape. even in israel it's probably the biggest political issue. but for palestinians and many israelis - - daily survival trumps peace negotiations. it's similar to the situation here in the us: the war in iraq doesn't actually affect people's lives here on a daily basis - they care more about education and jobs. and this election is a not-subtle reminder of the fact that palestinians need to survive before they can worry about israel's security. not from a governing point of view, but from the typical voter's "i gotta eat" point of view.

it'll be interesting to see how things develop in the political spectrum over the next few months. but for now, this is a good reminder that there are more pressing issues for people than diplomatic maneuvering. in fact, it's quite a luxury to even be able to think about it...