(TIME) Karl Vick - According to recent surveys, if elections were held in Gaza today, Hamas would not be returned to power. In a March survey taken in the afterglow of the protests in Cairo, more than 60% of Gazans age 18 to 27 said they too would support public demonstrations demanding regime change. The euphoria over the release of Palestinian prisoners is unlikely to alleviate the bread-and-butter problems for which many Gazans blame Hamas. The party's election victory in 2006 put cadres of solemn, bearded men with little political or administrative experience in charge of running a government. They got high marks for making the streets safe, but they never came to grips with the Gazan economy, and they've failed to live up to their promise of corruption-free government.
2011-10-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive