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Hamas Fields a Militant Electoral List: Implications for U.S.-Palestinian Ties
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Katherine Bauer and Matthew Levitt - The presence of numerous convicted terrorists on Hamas' candidate list for the May 22 Palestinian legislative election should raise urgent concerns. Among the many Hamas terrorist candidates are Jamal Muhammad Farah al-Tawil, a senior Hamas military commander in the West Bank who planned multiple suicide bombings, and Jamal Abd al-Shamal Abu Hija, sentenced to nine life sentences for involvement in at least six suicide bombings. After Hamas won a majority in the 2006 legislative election, U.S. law was changed to restrict aid if the PA government includes Hamas members or allows the group to exert "undue influence."