Hamas victory - the new Middle East is not what we expected
Hamas is listed as a terrorist group by the European Union, Canada, the United States, and Israel, and its attacks targeting Israeli civilians and other human rights abuses have been condemned by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The organization is particularly popular among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, though it also has a following in the West Bank, and, to a lesser extent, in other Middle Eastern countries and throughout the Palestinian diaspora. The movement’s popularity stems from its provision of welfare and social services to the Palestinian poor and its paramilitary activities, as well as from the perceived corruption of the Fatah party. Outside the Arab world, Hamas is primarily known for its suicide bombings against civilians in busy urban areas in Israel. It is notorious for its generous payments to the families of suicide bombers
Is it a terrorist group? Is it a social welfare organization? Is it the Palestinian equivalent of the Tuesday Night Social Club? What Hamas actually is depends largely on your political leanings and/or whether or not you happen to be Jewish or Muslim. Wherever you happen to find yourself on the ideological spectrum, though, there can little argument that this is going to be a tough nut to crack. Yes, the Palestinian people have spoken. In a democratic election, they elevated Hamas into power in the Palestinian government. From suicide bombers to architects of Palestinian democracy? Jeez, whodathunkit? And guess what, y’all? Neither the Israelis nor the Bush Administration are happy…but can you blame them?
This must be terribly galling for the Israelis. Here they are, faced with a Palestinian Authority being run by a group sworn to Israel’s destruction. That screeching you heard was the Palestinian-Israeli peace process grinding to a halt…of course, it’s not as if there have been anything resembling negotiations for the past two years, anyway. Make peace? With whom can Israel reasonably negotiate? The Israeli government has refused to negotiate with Hamas, and no one should be surprised. Israel simply cannot and should not be expected to negotiate with a group sworn to the destruction of the state of Israel. Yeah…now THERE’S some room for compromise, eh?
The Bush Administration has restated their position that Hamas is a terrorist organization, and they do not negotiate with terrorists. For once, I agree with Our Glorious Leader (no, the Earth did NOT just stop spinning on it’s axis….). How can one reasonably expect to negotiate peace in the Holy Land with a group that justifies terrorist activities (including, but not limited to, suicide bombings) as “self-defense”?
IF Hamas is to have ANY hope of being an agent of peace and prosperity for the Holy Land in general and the Palestinian people in partcular, it must begin by renouncing it’s stated goal of wiping Israel from the face of the Earth. Hamas must also completely and unequivocably renounce the use of terror in ANY form against Israel. If Hamas can see it’s way clear to doing that, it must then back up it’s words with concrete and observable action by reigning in it’s collection of nutcases lining up to collect their 72 Virgins. Let’s just say that no reasonable student of the Middle East should be holding their breath.
I’m going to try and be optimistic…what other option is there but to hope for the best? Nonetheless, the realist in me recognizes that the result of this election is sort of like driving drunk and 40 miles over the speed limit through downtown Pleasantville with the Sheriiff’s drunk and naked 15-year-old daughter straddling your lap. You’re in big trouble; everyone KNOWS you’re in big trouble, but you still have to hope for a miracle to pull your cojones out of the fire. The Middle East peace process needs a similar miracle…boy, does it ever….
