His win suggests hope_文教Education
the victory by mahmoud abbas, an advocate of non-violence, in palestinian presidential elections stirred hopes that he could pursue peace with israel. he has said that the first step will be a crackdown on militants.
meanwhile, israeli prime minister ariel sharon’s office quoted him as telling visiting us senator john kerry: "the main focus at this stage, following the election, should be palestinian action on terror."
abbas won 62.3 per cent of the vote in the ballot to find a successor to yasser arafat, the central electoral commission said.
but with the commission declining to give a final turnout figure, the real strength of abbas’ support was difficult to measure.
abbas has promised to seek peace with israel, battle widespread corruption and restore the crumbling palestinian authority. he wants to reverse the legacy of four years of violence.
"a pragmatic man was elected, a moderate man and an intelligent man. let’s give him a chance," veteran israeli peacemaker shimon peres told israel’s army radio, echoing comments from the united states and the european union.
but militants, including the islamic movement hamas, have ignored abbas’ demands to end the armed struggle and have avoided the election. and neither palestinians nor israelis have shown signs of compromise on fundamental issues behind decades of conflict.
business-minded
israel has said it sees abbas as a man to do business with. it has praised his calls for an end to violence in a 4-year-old palestinian uprising. but it has criticized his intention to take in rather than confront militants.
"the palestinians are still not fighting terror and while [abbas’] declarations in the framework of the election campaign were encouraging, he will be tested by the way he battles terror and acts to take apart its infrastructure," sharon said.
palestinian cabinet minister saeb erekat called on israel to return to peace negotiations. if not, it could risk a strengthening of militancy in the face of continued israeli occupation.
israeli officials have said sharon, who accused arafat of provoking violence and avoided him for years, will seek a meeting with abbas within days. but abbas aides said he wanted assurances that it would be more than a photo opportunity.
hamas also said it could work with abbas, but reiterated its commitment to "the choice of resistance". it called on abbas to "be aware of falling into the israeli trap".
meanwhile, israeli prime minister ariel sharon’s office quoted him as telling visiting us senator john kerry: "the main focus at this stage, following the election, should be palestinian action on terror."
abbas won 62.3 per cent of the vote in the ballot to find a successor to yasser arafat, the central electoral commission said.
but with the commission declining to give a final turnout figure, the real strength of abbas’ support was difficult to measure.
abbas has promised to seek peace with israel, battle widespread corruption and restore the crumbling palestinian authority. he wants to reverse the legacy of four years of violence.
"a pragmatic man was elected, a moderate man and an intelligent man. let’s give him a chance," veteran israeli peacemaker shimon peres told israel’s army radio, echoing comments from the united states and the european union.
but militants, including the islamic movement hamas, have ignored abbas’ demands to end the armed struggle and have avoided the election. and neither palestinians nor israelis have shown signs of compromise on fundamental issues behind decades of conflict.
business-minded
israel has said it sees abbas as a man to do business with. it has praised his calls for an end to violence in a 4-year-old palestinian uprising. but it has criticized his intention to take in rather than confront militants.
"the palestinians are still not fighting terror and while [abbas’] declarations in the framework of the election campaign were encouraging, he will be tested by the way he battles terror and acts to take apart its infrastructure," sharon said.
palestinian cabinet minister saeb erekat called on israel to return to peace negotiations. if not, it could risk a strengthening of militancy in the face of continued israeli occupation.
israeli officials have said sharon, who accused arafat of provoking violence and avoided him for years, will seek a meeting with abbas within days. but abbas aides said he wanted assurances that it would be more than a photo opportunity.
hamas also said it could work with abbas, but reiterated its commitment to "the choice of resistance". it called on abbas to "be aware of falling into the israeli trap".