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Palestinians Embrace Hamas as Legitimate Power

Hamas' landslide victory last month brings the group to the forefront of power in the Palestinian territories. Israel refuses to negotiate with Hamas; it, the United States and Europe call the group a terrorist organization.

But many Palestinians see Hamas as a legitimate force fighting Israeli occupation and see Hamas-backed charities as models of "clean" and efficient rule -- in contrast to the corruption of the secularist Fatah movement that dominated Palestinian politics for 40 years.

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Eric Westervelt is a San Francisco-based senior editor-correspondent for NPR's National Desk.

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