Before sharing the cup with his disciples in the gospel this Sunday, Jesus gave thanks. Policy-makers in Washington gave thanks Monday upon learning of the unexpected victory of an American-backed alliance in Lebanese parliamentary elections. The hotly contested election was billed as a showdown between Tehran and Washington for influence in the Middle East.

The pro-western alliance, known as the March 14 coalition, won a majority of 71 seats in the 128-member parliament, compared with 57 for the Hezbollah-led coalition, according to official results the government announced Monday.

Though the Hezbollah-led challengers lost, Hezbollah itself--a Shiite political, social, and military organization that the United States and Israel officially regard as a terrorist group--will continue to be one of Lebanon's most powerful political forces in a nation that remains deeply divided. Negotiations over the formation of a government were expected to take weeks.

Around Lebanon the interest in the contest was so high that during the voting on Sunday people waited up to four hours at polls, many times in the hot sun and in packed hallways.

Hezbollah said on Wednesday it was ready to open a new page with its U.S.-backed rivals but would wait to see what they offer before deciding on joining any coalition government.

"We will also behave in a highly positive manner and cooperate with the other side," Hezbollah deputy secretary-general Sheikh Naim Kassem told Reuters in an interview.

"We will wait for what the other side offers. If it decides on a program, a vision, and a method that is different from the past and that opens new horizons, they will find us by their side," Kassem said. "But if issues remain as before at a state of tension and monopoly [of power], then we will take a stand."

Source: Articles by Nadim Ladki for Reuters and Michael Slackman for the New York Times