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Amid turmoil, a Hamas mayor builds and builds
In the West Bank town of Bidya, Ramadan Shatat aims to be model of good government.
By SUSAN TAYLOR MARTIN
Published February 24, 2007


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BIDYA, West Bank - There is a sign on Mayor Ramadan Shatat's office door that reads:

Dear Brother. Please do not come to the mayor for minor matters.

Please go to the appropriate department.

People in this Palestinian town routinely ignore the request, popping in to inquire about permits or calling the mayor at 2 a.m. to complain the power is out. He admits it is tiring, but he is determined to prove a point: The radical group Hamas, of which he is a member, knows how to govern.

"In the municipality, it is services, not politics," said Shatat, who keeps a box of Happy brand chocolates on hand for the endless stream of visitors. "We said to the people, 'Don't look at us as Hamas, look at our capacities.' "

Shatat and other Bidyans are more moderate than many in Gaza or larger West Bank cities that have seen heavy Israeli reprisal for terror attacks. They implicitly recognize Israel's right to exist, but want it to give up land captured in the 1967 Mideast War and to stop what they call the "humiliation" of the Palestinian people.

"Simply, we don't want occupation," Shatat said. "Leave us alone and let us administer our institutions by our own hands."

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/02/24/Worldandnation/Amid_turmoil__a_Hamas.shtml