Mahmoud Abbas has won a convincing victory in this weekend’s Palestinian elections, taking nearly two-thirds of the vote in the West Bank and Gaza.
This is, first of all, a win for the Palestinian people. They had what appears to be a free and fair election, which is the first critical step on the path to democracy. The Palestinians are able to do something that most of their Arab neighbors cannot and choose their own leadership. While there are some questions on the vote, most of the international observers have said that the election went very smoothly.
At the same time, Abbas’ comments about Israel being the “Zionist enemy” betray his image as a moderate. Until the Palestinian people accept the Israelis as their neighbors and end their bloody and pointless war against Israel the prospects for peace will remain shattered. If Abbas can teach the Palestinians to accept Israel and embrace peace and prosperity for themselves there is hope for a free and independent Palestinian nation. Abbas has a long and difficult road to follow, and he must show a true and honest committment to peace in a country that has been steeped in hatred for decades. However, if he is willing to do the right thing, he has the opportunity to create one of the first Arab democracies and transform his people from political pawns to a model for reform. The question is, will he have the guts to do it?
