News Brief11:21 AM

(IsraelNN.com) American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has maintained that democracy will overcome terrorist parties and that the democratic victory of Hamas actually was good because it proved that Hamas is not responsible. Writing in the prestigious Foreign Affairs Journal, she stated that a new Arab state within Israel's current borders must "build effective democratic institutions that can fight terrorism and extremism."

She said that democracy gives Arabs the right choice for a peaceful life but that "there is a fundamental disagreement…between those who reject violence and recognize Israel's right to exist and those who do not."
 
Secretary Rice claimed that the Hamas victory in Palestinian Authority legislative elections "helped clarify matters." She explained, "After the elections, Hamas also had to face real accountability for its use of power for the first time… Through its continued unwillingness to behave like a responsible regime rather than a violent movement, Hamas has demonstrated that it is wholly incapable of governing." However, she admitted that the Fatah movement, headed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas whom she calls a "moderate," still is not a "legitimate, effective, and democratic alternative to Hamas."