Barely one year after the death of its founder, President Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian ruling Fatah movement was thrown out by the voters.
Tired of corruption associated with Fatah ministers, the stagnant economy and the Palestinian National Authority's inability to protect civilians from daily Israeli attacks, the Palestinians have given the Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, an undisputed victory.
But most importantly, as most analysts observed, the Palestinians seem to want a strong government instead of the perceived one that gave in so much to Israel, and its protector the United States in compromises without any worthy returns.
The Palestinians may have said no to Fatah candidates, but electing a Hamas majority government is, in fact, a bigger no to the dictates of the Israelis and the Americans and the apathy of the international community.
However, Hamas should not get confused. The confidence it got from the government must not be interpreted as a carte blanche to get rid of the peace process. Most pre-election surveys that showed the voters were in favour of the Islamic movement also said the people wanted a just and lasting peace.
It is time Hamas took the peace process seriously and built on the landmark Arab peace initiative, endorsed by the Arab Beirut Summit in 2002, which offered Israel peace in return for full withdrawal from Arab lands occupied in 1967.
The Israelis and the Americans have also much to deal with. There is a new reality on the ground and they have to learn to live with it. Their statement that Hamas was "a terrorist organisation" which they will not deal with will not serve the peace process and only prolong the conflict and the enduring suffering of the region.
Hamas has been elected in a fair and transparent democratic process and that should be respected, especially by the US, which claims to be encouraging democratic reforms in the region.
