AP: RAMALLAH, West Bank – The Islamic militant group Hamas said Thursday it won control of the Palestinian parliament and officials from the ruling Fatah Party confirmed the estimate — though Palestinian election officials delayed the release of preliminary official results.

The claim by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was based on reporting by Hamas activists who observed the counting in the polling stations, the group said. He said Hamas had won about 70 seats, enough for a majority in the 132-seat parliament.

Truthdig says:

With America sticking its guns in the eyes of so many Arabs, is it any wonder that Muslim hard-liners have gained so much popular support? Do we need any further proof of the neocon fallacy of Rumsfeld-style shake-n-bake democracy? | story
And with right-wing pretenders lingering over Sharon’s deathbed, have prospects for peace in the Mideast ever looked more distant?

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