| I'm not sure about the value of a two-party system where both parties are nutz, but it's still early in the game... |
Hamas announced Saturday it has decided to run in an upcoming Palestinian parliamentary election, a senior official said. The election, to be held on July 17, will determine who will replace the Palestinian parliament chosen in a 1996 ballot. "We have decided to participate in the parliamentary elections," said Sheikh Hamed Bitawi, a Hamas leader in the West Bank. Sammy Abu Zohri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, confirmed the decision announced in Nablus. "The statement made in Nablus reflects the official position of the Hamas movement. Hamas is going to participate," Abu Zohri told The Associated Press. "Hamas ... has decided to participate in the upcoming Palestinian legislative elections on the basis of sticking to the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and protecting the program of resistance as a strategic choice until the occupation is swept away," said Mohammed Ghazal, a Hamas leader in the West Bank, reading a statement from the group.