I am not bagging on the OP, but I sure do wish the article was more recent.
Here's a more recent article, Teddy and it looks like it doesn't matter what Palestinians think of Hamass.
JERUSALEM — Democracy for the Palestinians suffered another setback Thursday when the Palestinian high court ruled that municipal elections scheduled for next month must be postponed because of a dispute between the rival political parties that control the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian court decided to suspend the elections also because of a legal challenge filed on behalf of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, who would not be allowed to vote.
Israel considers East Jerusalem a part of Israel and would not permit ballot boxes there. Palestinians consider East Jerusalem occupied territory and want it to serve as their capital in a future Palestinian state.
The now-suspended Oct. 8 vote was not for Palestinian president or parliament, but for leaders to fill 3,818 seats on 416 municipal councils in cities and villages across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian court suspends upcoming elections, throwing campaigns into chaos