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Abbas is hustled from the scene of a inter-Palestinian shooting early in his tenure. (AP file)
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| By Associated Press August 26, 2005 |
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| Hamas celebrates its future state. (AP file) |
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The Islamic Hamas is a legitimate party for Palestinian legislative elections set for January, and its participation is part of the democratic process, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was quoted as telling a French newspaper.
Groups such as Hamas -- which opposes the existence of Israel and has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bomb attacks during the last five years of violence -- will grow less radical if they are integrated into politics, Abbas said, according to an interview published on Liberation newspaper's Web site Thursday.
"Hamas will take part in elections, and if it wins, why not?" he was quoted as saying. "We believe in the principles of democracy. So if we want to build a democracy, we must accept the consequences of democracy."
Hamas, which is Abbas' main political rival, will compete in national elections for the first time in January and is expected to make a strong showing.
Israel has demanded that Abbas disqualify Hamas from the elections, because it refuses to disarm. Israel, the European Union and the United States consider Hamas a terror organization.
On Thursday, after a deadly Israeli arrest raid killed five Palestinians, militant groups including Hamas vowed to renew attacks on Israel, a move that would undercut goodwill that resulted from the Israeli pullout from 25 Jewish settlements in Gaza and part of the West Bank. Abbas has urged militants to hold their fire.
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