Hamas “terrorists” win legitimate state power!
I’m not sure who was more shocked (and disappointed) by the outcome of Wednesday’s Palestinian elections: The victorious Hamas Islamic group (branded a terrorist organisation by governments around the world) and their “wipe-Israel-off-the-map” Islamic sympathizers - led by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or the defeated Fatah Party and their “you’re-either–with-us-or-against-us” democracy crusaders - led by U.S. President George W. Bush.
Hamas supporters shouting defiant slogans of victory - punctuated by the familiar chant "death to Israel!"
Nonetheless, I suspect that all of the dire predictions about what this outcome portends for peace in the Middle East will prove just as reliable as the hopeful predictions about a Fatah victory have proved.
Frankly, the only appropriate reaction to these elections is to embrace them as a profound and instructive triumph of democracy. Of course, I appreciate that by refusing to renounce its commitment to the destruction of Israel, Hamas leaders make it prohibitive for most democratic governments to deal with them. But it’s for the Palestinian people to decide whether their interests are best served by a government thusly condemned and isolated.
However, it behooves the self-righteous governments (especially the Bush Administration) that are vowing to have nothing to do with Hamas to recognise and accept responsibility for their unwitting contribution to this outcome. Because, by enabling egregiously corrupt Fatah officials (most notably the improbable billionaire Yasser Arafat) who fleeced foreign aid with impunity for years, they fed the resentment amongst deprived Palestinians that motivated Fatah’s justified demise.
Now the people have spoken! Let Hamas govern as best they can - if civil war with Fatah (terrorists?) does not render governing even more difficult than it already promises to be….
Technorati: Hamas, Fatah, Palestinian Elections
Hamas supporters shouting defiant slogans of victory - punctuated by the familiar chant "death to Israel!"Nonetheless, I suspect that all of the dire predictions about what this outcome portends for peace in the Middle East will prove just as reliable as the hopeful predictions about a Fatah victory have proved.
Frankly, the only appropriate reaction to these elections is to embrace them as a profound and instructive triumph of democracy. Of course, I appreciate that by refusing to renounce its commitment to the destruction of Israel, Hamas leaders make it prohibitive for most democratic governments to deal with them. But it’s for the Palestinian people to decide whether their interests are best served by a government thusly condemned and isolated.
However, it behooves the self-righteous governments (especially the Bush Administration) that are vowing to have nothing to do with Hamas to recognise and accept responsibility for their unwitting contribution to this outcome. Because, by enabling egregiously corrupt Fatah officials (most notably the improbable billionaire Yasser Arafat) who fleeced foreign aid with impunity for years, they fed the resentment amongst deprived Palestinians that motivated Fatah’s justified demise.
Now the people have spoken! Let Hamas govern as best they can - if civil war with Fatah (terrorists?) does not render governing even more difficult than it already promises to be….
Technorati: Hamas, Fatah, Palestinian Elections
posted by ALH ipinions at 1/27/2006 06:32:00 AM
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6 Comments:
God bless you for your fairness my brother. It is pitiful that so many world leaders only respect democratic outcomes that conform with thier bias.
Don't buy the narrative that everyone Israel doesn't like is a terrorist. There is at least one model of successful political discussions where "terrorists" gave up violence when they were given real political power and left alone by the security apparatus. See the IRA. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.
It is definitely a victory for deomocracy, but I'm not so certain it is a victory for peace.
Hoever, I do think they are going to have a very hard time ruling because they are broke. I heard it NPR yesterday. They have no money to sustain the party; the primary money the people in the occupied territories were getting was from Israeli taxes (I'm not sure how that works.), and Isreal will probably freeze that.
Tony
If I did not read this post early this morning I might have thought you added that line about civil war after seeing developments in Gaza on TV. But boy did you call it right. I think the Palestinians might be too busy destroying each other to govern or destroy Israel.
great point rachel s
that's why i think alh is right that the only appropriate response is to let hamas experience what it;s like to have the duties and responsibilities of governing instead of just blowing things up. then maybe the palestinian people will elect leaders who want to do more than just destroy us.
Sorry for the 80,000 typos in my last message. I was running out the door.
It's readable, but I need to proof read. LOL!
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