AFTER ABBAS’ VICTORY

In a region too often wracked by violent attacks and violent reprisals for them, the pictures of jubilant Palestinians celebrating the victory of Mahmoud Abbas, who was elected Palestinian president Sunday, were refreshing. There was some shooting of guns into the air, but mostly Palestinians cheered and waved flags or pictures of the victorious leader. One Palestinian leader talked about the changing feel of the Palestinian street.

It would be naive to think that the election of Mr. Abbas, a moderate who is hailed by both peace negotiators and would-be bombers, will end years of fighting or lead to the signing of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. But his victory does improve the prospects of these outcomes.

Mr. Abbas’ victory was hailed by world leaders. President Bush said he would soon invite the new Palestinian leader to the White House. More importantly, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he planned to meet with Mr. Abbas in the near future. Four

years passed without contact between Mr. Sharon and Yasser Arafat, the PLO leader who died in November.

Perhaps the most important congratulations come from Hamas, the radical Palestinian faction leading the intifada, or violence against Israel. An official of the group, which has opposed negotiations with Israel, said it may be prepared to support Mr. Abbas.

“If he is committed to the stance of our people, then we will back him,” Hassan Yousef, Hamas leader for the West Bank, told Bloomberg news service. “If he isn’t going to respond, then we have a right to oppose him but in a civilized and peaceful way.”

If Hamas does turn into “peaceful” opposition, this would go a long way toward fulfilling the Israeli demand that terrorist attacks be stopped.

Of course, Israel can boost Mr. Abbas’ prospects for success as well. If it fulfills its pledge to withdraw settlements in the Gaza Strip and halts construction of the wall separating Israel from Palestinian territory, this will begin to defuse the anger that fuels Hamas and other groups. Mr. Sharon has criticized Mr. Abbas for talking of co-opting the militants rather than crushing them. Four years of trying to “crush” them, as Mr. Sharon says is the better approach, has left 1,000 Israelis and 3,000 Palestinians dead.

If co-opting the militants means allowing them access to their fields, schools and jobs without going through a roadblock, if it means allowing them to live in their homeland, if it means an elected government, Mr. Abbas’ approach is more likely to succeed. If the daily lives of average Palestinian citizens are improved, there will likely be fewer terrorist attacks.

If the feeling among Palestinians becomes one of optimism rather than fatalism, much has been changed by Mr. Abbas’ victory.