10/01/2005 3:48:08 pm
Abbas Won - the First Step on a Long Road. Former Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas is now declared the winner in the Presidential election in Palestine - incidentally the first free and fair election in an Arab society. Abbas got 62,3 % of the votes and his main opponent a mere 19,8 %. That gives him a strong mandate for the inevitably uncomfortable decisions to come.
"The main challenge is still ahead for him... Will he fight against the terrorists? Will he try to stop this bloody, violent war against the state of Israel? This is the main question. This is what interests us," Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said.
The first obstacle to peace and a Palestinian state was Yasser Arafat. Now he is gone and with him a corrupt regime that supported terrorism. Now Abbas will face the challenge and the opportunities are clear. Israel has made some good offers. The outcome of this election may start a positive circle of development in the negotiations towards lasting peace.
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