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Source: http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=3&id=3597
Hamas - From Rhetoric to Reality
(Asharq Al-Awsat-UK) Saleh al-Na'mani - Dr. Yehya Moussa, Secretary General of the al-Khalas Islamic Party, affiliated to Hamas, explained Hamas's participation in the Palestinian legislative elections this time. "Circumstances have changed....After the [Israeli] settlements were evacuated across the Gaza Strip, one can no longer say that the Palestinian territories are still completely under occupation under the stipulations of Oslo. Concurrently, one cannot claim that they have been totally liberated." Hamas opted to take part in the election because "The talks with Israel have been practically at a standstill for seven years. The economic conditions have deteriorated badly. Financial and administrative corruption is rife in all organs of the Palestinian Authority and its executive, to an unprecedented degree....The security situation is dire and Palestinian citizens no longer feel safe and secure."