What if 'Terrorists' Win the Palestinian Elections?

Jan. 22, 2006 — -- Israelis, Palestinians and leaders around the world are bracing for the real possibility that the militant group Hamas could win big in Wednesday's Palestinian elections.

It seems the Bush administration is doing more than just watching things, evidently backing the more moderate ruling party, Fatah, with U.S. taxpayer dollars, according to a report in The Washington Post.

The program highlights a dilemma in President Bush's drive to bring democracy to the Arab world: What if free elections are won by radical Islamic parties, such as Hamas?

"I think policy now is being reassessed in terms of what kind of position the United States could take not only to support the opponents of the Islamist groups, but also what to do if those Islamist groups in fact win," said Shibley Telhami of the Brookings Institution, a U.S. public policy think tank.

Both the United States and Israel consider Hamas, which pioneered the use of the suicide bomber, a terrorist group.

But many Palestinians see things differently. To them, Hamas is known for donating millions of dollars for health care, housing and education.

Running as a political party for the first time, Hamas is promising a corruption-free government, and the message seems to be resonating in the race against Fatah, considered by some to be corrupt and out of touch.

"I'll elect anyone who works hard for the Palestinian people," said one Palestinian in the town of Beita, "anyone who works for my nation."

'Great Pride'

Beita, a small town on the West Bank, already is run by Hamas, and most Palestinians there this weekend said that Hamas has won them over. After all, Main Street is being paved and widened. The town just got a garbage truck. There is now trash collection. And a new school will be ready next year.

Beita's mayor used to be appointed by the Palestinian Authority to a seven-year term. But for the first time last year the mayor was elected, and the race was won by Arab Al-Sharifa, the Hamas candidate.

"There is great pride here since the mayor took over," said one man. "He has created projects that would have taken 10 years for someone else to do."

Unemployment in Beita was close to 60 percent when Al-Sharifa took over, but he created job rotations, giving at least some city work to everybody in need.

When money ran out to pave the roads, Hamas supporters volunteered to finish the job.

By far, the mayor's most popular move has been his drive to cut out corruption. He promises that nobody gets special treatment. In fact, after threatening to cut power to anyone late paying their electric bills, it was the mayor's mother and father who were left in the dark.

"I want to be remembered for unity that I'll bring to this village," the mayor said. "I want to represent all the divisions and factions here."

Like almost all Hamas candidates in the Palestinian elections, the mayor is not talking about eradicating Israel or about Hamas being the Islamic party of God.

At least in Beita, when people vote Wednesday, Hamas is expected to win again.

U.S. Said to Back Fatah

The White House is keeping a wary eye on the wider elections, hoping Fatah -- which now controls the Palestinian Authority -- will be able to fight off the challenge from Hamas.

And it appears the Bush administration has been doing more than just watching.

A tree planting in the West Bank this past week looked like a routine ceremony for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. But a report in Sunday's Washington Post said it was part of a Bush administration effort to boost Abbas and Fatah -- and blunt the popularity of Hamas.

Daily projects are said to include handing out food and water at Israeli checkpoints, cleaning up streets and sponsoring a youth soccer tournament. U.S. funds also are said to pay for newspaper ads to make sure Abbas and Fatah get the credit. There's no mention that Washington is picking up the tab.

The Bush administration apparently is spending twice what Hamas expects to spend in the campaign. But analysts say it could backfire if Abbas looks like a White House puppet.

ABC News' Wilf Dinnick in Beita, the West Bank, and John Yang in Washington contributed to this story. Their original reports aired on "World News Tonight."