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handle is hein.crs/crsmthaaauh0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS22395
March 3, 2006
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Fatah and Hamas:
the New Palestinian Factional Reality
Aaron D. Pina
Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Summary
For the first time in its history, the Palestinian parliament is set to be led by Hamas,
which the United States and European Union have designated a foreign terrorist
organization. Although some lauded the generally free and fair election in January 2006,
others criticized the outcome and accused Hamas of hijacking democracy. This report
provides an overview of the new political realities in the West Bank and Gaza after the
election, the challenges Fatah and Hamas face, and possible implications for U.S. policy.
This report will be updated as warranted. For more information on the Palestinians, see
CRS Report RL33269, Palestinian Elections, by Aaron D. Pina, CRS Issue Brief
B91137 The Middle East Peace Talks, by Carol Migdalovitz, and CRS Report
RS22370, U.S. Assistance to the Palestinians, by Jeremy M. Sharp.
Background
On January 25, 2006, Palestinians voted in parliamentary elections and Hamas
emerged as the clear winner, with 74 out of 132 parliamentary seats. Fatah, the dominant
party in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), won 45 seats, and 13 seats went to
other minor parties. Since then, several governments, including the United States, have
cautioned that unless Hamas disavows terrorism, recognizes Israel, and accepts all
previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements, diplomatic and economic relations with the
Palestinian Authority may be circumscribed or ended altogether.
Hamas'
During the 1970s and 1980s, Palestinians experienced a rise in political Islam,
embodied in Hamas, founded in 1987 by the late Sheik Ahmad Yasin. Hamas couches
the Palestinian national struggle in religious terms and is a Palestinian offshoot of the

Congressional Research Service + The Library of Congress

1 Hamas is an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawamah al-1slamiyyah (the Islamic Resistance
Movement). Hamas also means zeal in Arabic.

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