so much for democracy promotion

Soon after his recovery from a mild stroke caused by his insatiable appetite for food among other things (occupation, settlements, oppression, torture, and the like), Israeli PM Ariel Sharon was back to working on making Palestinian lives miserable, what he does best. The Israeli prime minister's spokesman Raanan Gissin announced that Palestinians living in Jerusalem would not be allowed to vote in the upcoming January parliamentary elections because of fears that Hamas is gaining more power through such elections.

On the same topic, the US and EU announced that

Interestingly enough, 50% of Israelis said they would support talks with Hamas if the need arose.

Any party should be allowed to participate if the elections are to be considered free and fair. If Hamas makes significant gains, then they will concentrate their efforts on bringing change through the political process, rather than armed resistance. This will be more effective for them, and will make their image more favorable in the eyes of the US and EU as long as they stay active within the system rather than resorting to violence. Preventing them from participating will only alienate them and encourage them to use other means to get their message across.