Support for Hamas surged among Palestinians after it battled Israel. Now, local elections in the West Bank will test if the group’s popularity translates into trust to fix roads and collect trash.
AL-MAZRAA, West Bank—A bloody 11-day conflict with Israel in spring gave Hamas a jolt of popular support among Palestinians in the West Bank. Now, local elections this week will provide one of the first tests of whether the militant group’s gains are lasting.
Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by Israel and the U.S., runs the Gaza Strip but operates largely underground in the West Bank, where it is officially boycotting the elections. Numerous people are running with the blessing of the militant group and are seen as unofficial Hamas candidates.that saw the militant group exchange thousands of rockets with Israel following an upswing in tensions earlier this year.
In defiance of the government, some smaller towns and villages across the West Bank still see Hamas’s green flags flying, taped on telephone poles or spray painted on buildings. Palestinians complain that basic services like trash collection and repair of roads and sidewalks are denied to swaths of the population. There has also been a breakdown in the local justice system amid increased street violence.
The head of government administration in Gaza Strip condoles the family of Hamas leader Abd al-Salam Siam, who died of Covid-19 in late November.The Palestinian Authority says it is committed to civil liberties and that violations of rights are isolated incidents. West Bank authorities blame Israel for its economic woes and call its military presence a hindrance to local security forces., blaming Israel for refusing to allow ballot boxes in the disputed city of Jerusalem.
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