RAMALLAH, February 2 (JMCC) - The changing of the government in Jordan and calls for elections by Palestinians are the latest signs that anti-government protests in Tunisia and Egypt will have a regional impact.
The Washington Post's Jackson Diehl believes that while
Palestinian Authority elections held in 2006 were a disaster - the rise of
Hamas to power rejected by the international community and resulting in a civil war - new elections could have a positive impact.
A West Bank election might do the Palestinian Authority some good; Hamas will probably be excluded and young reformers will have a chance to rise. In Jordan Abdullah may decide that he can gain the broad support for liberalization that he lacked five years ago.
Read the analysis at the Washington Post...