New dawn for Islamists, say Arabs

‘‘Many in the Arab world were expecting something like this, but not to this degree,’’ said Hussein Shobok, a columnist with the Arabic-language daily Sharq al-Awsat. ‘‘This is certainly going to encourage other Islamists elsewhere to do the same.’’ For some, it raised the concern that, in winning, the Islamic group will almost certainly have to lose something. The mixed reaction was evident at the Husseini refugee camp in Amman, Jordan, a stronghold of support for Hamas. Eyad al-Dibeiy, who sells shoes in the camp, was elated. ‘‘A Hamas victory gives the government wider representation. Hamas is an Islamic movement, and their victory will give Islamists more leverage, power and freedom.’’

‘‘The results support the argument for resistance and forces of resistance in the Arab world that stands against capitulation,” said Sheik Hamzah Mansour, secy-general of the Islamic Action Front. Arab and Muslim leaders attending the World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland, issued a statement urging other nations to respect the Hamas victory and give the group time to prove whether it is ready to work for peace.

‘‘It is an example of when people are frustrated and have no hope for the future they tend to go for the extreme end of the spectrum,’’ Queen Rania of Jordan said in the statement. The vote for Hamas was also a vote against the conditions in which Palestinians have been forced to live under Israeli occupation, she said.

In Lebanon, where Hezbollah has gone through many of the changes Hamas is likely to face, many saw the result as a direct challenge to the US and Israel. ‘‘Because Hamas and Hezbollah are going through such similar experiences, as armed groups democratizing, if the US wants to pressure Hamas further to disarm, it’s going to make their democracy agenda look very weak,’’ Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, political science professor at the Lebanese American University, said. ‘‘These people voted overwhelmingly for Hamas… partly as a referendum for resistance, saying that resistance will pay greater dividends than negotiation.’’ —NYT