On the sidelines of the jubilant victory parades of Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a significant minority of Palestinians are reacting to the militant group's rise to power with deep worry. 'I pray and I fast, but having Hamas in power is not in our interest. People should have thought more before they chose Hamas,' said Mohammed Alahwe, a 21-year-old university student, as youngsters nearby began marching with the movement's green banner. It is inscribed with the words: 'There is no God but God and Mohammed is the messenger of God.' Mr Alahwe is convinced Hamas' espousal of armed struggle against Israel can only bring more misery to the Palestinians. 'If we had weapons like the Israelis do, fine, but the fact is we don't. I think there will be more violence and the Israelis will destroy all the places that provide services,' he said. The last five years have shown that armed attacks against Israel only backfire on the Palestinians, he added. 'We lost a lot from the intifada [uprising],' he said. 'The Israelis built the fence, taking more of our land, our cities were destroyed, our economy was devastated, people are out of work.' Hamas campaigned under the slogan: 'One hand builds, while the other hand resists.' It boasted repeatedly that its attacks drove Israel out of the Gaza Strip last summer. It has vowed to do the same in the West Bank, although Hamas leaders may now be interested in calm to consolidate their power. Kamal Tawil, a Palestinian Authority local government official, said: 'I am in shock. This is not a positive result. 'We accept the democratic decision but the result is a difficult one. In opposition it was easy for Hamas to talk, but now let's see how they will pay the Palestinian Authority employees?' he said, referring to an authority financial crisis. Some Palestinian Christians are also concerned, although for now they are trying to remain optimistic in their pronouncements. 'This is democracy. They are the majority, let us see how things go,' said Jamal Salman, former town manager of Bethlehem. 'People are worried, we can't ignore that. People think maybe they will change some laws. But I don't think they would dare do anything against the Christians.' Hamas' charter says Christians and Jews should live in peace and harmony under the Islamic system, but it does not accord them equality with Muslims.