BEIRUT: Indifference and skepticism prevail among Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, feelings also present among most Arab nations, where little or nothing is expected from the future Israeli government.Leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Osama Hamdan, residing in Lebanon, and Fawzi Barhoum, in Gaza, said the expect "more of the same" from the Israeli policy.Hamdan affirmed he expects little from the administration that will emerge from the already complex negotiations between the Kadima and Likud parties, as their electoral program is pretty similar.According to preliminary results of the Israeli elections on Tuesday, current Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, the Kadima leader, has won 28 of the 120 parliamentary seats.Conservative Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud leader, goes next with 27 seats, followed by ultranationalist Avigdor Lieberman (15), from Yisrael Beiteinu faction, thus making believe the future executive will comprise the most radical sectors, chiefly anti-Palestinians.In principle, it seems Netanyahu could obtain 65 seats from alliances with ultra-rightists and ultra-religious, while Livni would only win 55.Meanwhile, Barhoum rated Gaza as "the first victim of electoral demagogy by the Israeli runners," and sustained he sees no difference among the Zionist parties."We have known them for many years, and they have all massacred the Palestinian people," the Islamic leader affirmed when noting that all those factions have tried to "demonstrate which is the most extremist with Palestinians to win the elections."
BEIRUT: Thousands of people converged Saturday on central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri.Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, men, women and children gathered under sunny skies in Martyr's Square where members of the parliamentary majority were to address the crowd. The rally comes as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also comes as the country prepares for legislative elections in June that will pit Western-backed political parties against a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.Hariri died in a massive car bombing on February 14, 2005 that also killed 22 others. The assassination was widely blamed on then Lebanese power-broker Syria, which has denied any involvement. The attack on the Beirut seafront was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since t...
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