Hamas, Israel, and the Prospects for Peace

Palestinian and Israeli elections earlier this year replaced historically dominant parties and complicated the search for a negotiated peace settlement based on a two-state solution. On 25 January 2006, Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement) candidates, running under the banner of the Change and

Reform Party, won a decisive victory in Palestinian Legislative Council elections, winning 74 seats in the 132-member parliament. A cabinet headed by Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, filled with Hamas members and supporters, took office while refusing to recognize Israel and to commit itself to a negotiated two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as demanded by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Israel, and the United States. Members of the long-dominant Fatah Party refused to join the cabinet and formed the opposition in parliament, while continuing to control the presidency.

Israeli elections were held on 28 March 2006, and for the first time in Israel's history neither the Labor nor the Likud parties came out on top. The recently formed Kadima Party, headed by Ehud Olmert, won 29 seats in the I2O-seat Knesset, ahead of both Labor and Likud, but still requiring Olmert to seek coalition partners to govern and to implement his plan to withdraw Israeli settlers unilaterally from a large portion of the West Bank.