Winning elections involves building coalitions. Politics is a game of addition. As a rule, the process pushes politics toward the middle, moderation, "the Golden Mean." But politics builds upon the most deeply-felt longings and needs of its participants. When the economy isn't working, with unemployment high and incomes low, extremist outcomes are more likely.
Democracy may not last in Palestine. But Hamas' rise to power there seems almost certain to focus more attention on the issue that brought its victory--the completely unsatisfactory state of Palestine's economy. Fatah's corruption gave Palestinians a ruling group that had it faced real competition earlier, would have better understood the imperative of making the economy work. And Israel too much secures its future through military power now, jobs for Palestinians later.
Hamas is changing Palestinian priorities, and whose to say the people of Palestine--and Israel--won't benefit as a result? Democracy requires listening, and it requires patience.
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