Sheikh Hassan Youssef had barely cleared the barbed wire of the Israeli prison before being cornered by a ring of microphones. After two years in jail, the top Hamas leader in the West Bank emerged last week into the glare of a new era in Palestinian politics. A Jan. 9 vote is set to pick a successor to Yasser Arafat, but the Islamic militant group is calling for local and legislative elections at the same time as the presidential vote. “Hamas looks at elections as a comprehensive venture – legislative, municipal, village council, and president,” Mr. Youssef told reporters outside the detention center in Ramallah. “It can’t be dealt with partially.”Full Story