One town doubts Hamas

A European Union announcement Monday may alleviate some initial panic over aid.

The EU has agreed give the Palestinians 120 million euros ($142 million) in emergency aid.

Officials say the aid package comprises ;40 million euros ($48 million) to pay for the PA's energy and other utility bills, 64 million euros ($76 million) for health and education projects and 17.5 million euros ($21 million) to help the authority pay its employees.

"From May last year, there have been no new projects until now,'' said Rina Hanayel, a civil engineer employed by the Qalqilya municipality. "At the beginning [Hamas] said, 'We will do this and we will do that,' but we don't know if it will ever happen in the future.''

Abutting the border of the West Bank and Israel, Qalqilya is virtually encircled by the cement wall and electronic fence barrier erected to block suicide bombers from reaching Israeli cities. Farmers, laborers, and merchants rely on Israeli army-issued permits to reach fields and clients on the other side of the barrier.

And yet, Hamas's control of the local government hasn't hurt cooperation in the region between the Palestinian Authority's ministry for civil affairs and the Israeli army's liaison office.

Some here worry that the new Hamas-led parliament may make moves to hinder this local working relationship with Israel.

"Stopping coordination would affect all aspects of life,'' said Luay Saadi, a civil affairs ministry official in Qalqilya who meets with Israeli officers twice a day. "Everything is linked to Israel. That would be a disastrous scenario.''

That fact of life hasn't been lost on Moyaed Shreim, a Hamas councilor who says the Islamic militants would be willing to talk to Israeli military officers to facilitate humanitarian needs of the Palestinians.

On the other hand, the Hamas administration seems to have been less flexible on cultural issues. Last summer, the Islamists canceled plans to hold an international folk festival in the city because it featured mixed dancing with men and women.

Hamas said the decision reflected the city's conservative bent, but critics said it cost Qalqilya's economically.

"Restaurants thought there would be more business,'' says Hisham Dweikat, a local representative of the Palestinian culture ministry, "but because of what happened with the festival, that opportunity was lost.''

Back at the glass factory, Juadei explained that although he had supported Hamas in the local election and remains optimistic that they'll finally pave his road, he didn't support the Islamists in the legislative vote.

"They have proven they can develop expertise'' in the municipalities, he says. "But to run the Palestinian Authority you need to deal with national issues and plan across different districts. The challenge is much greater.''

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