WASHINGTON – The U.S. will respect elections conducted within the Palestinian Authority even if the terrorist group Hamas wins, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
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Acknowledging that "Hamas is a terrorist organization," officially listed as such by the U.S. State Department, Rice said in response to a specific question from a CNN reporter about the possibility of a Hamas electoral victory: "Well, there is an election to take place. And we have a policy that comes from a reality of what Hamas is and Hamas has done. The election will take place. It is going to be a Palestinian election with the Palestinians setting the rules for how that election takes place. And we'll respect that."
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Since 2000, Hamas has been responsible for some 425 terrorist attacks. But in the elections set for next month, Hamas is in a position to gain between 35-40 percent of the 132 seats in the Palestinian Authority Legislative Council.
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"We'll deal with the Palestinian Authority. I think that's our best approach. They have an elected government through President Abbas," said Rice. "He is someone who won with 62 percent of the vote. And he won, John, not on a platform that said, let's go for the destruction of Israel or I'll turn your children into suicide bombers but, rather, on a platform that said that it is time for the armed intifada to end, it's time to make peace with Israel. And I have to believe that that's going to be also a popular approach, a popular platform throughout the territories."
