Hamas
It's fascinating how Hamas, by winning an election, have revealed the hypocrisy of many people who paid lip service to the idea of democracy in the Middle East. The American administration were apparently thrown into confusion by the "unexpected" result.
I assumed Hamas would win. It seemed obvious to me. I suspect the American government were confused because they are unused to elections in which the result is not under their control. It was obvious from the start that Hamas were offering everything the people of Palestine want and need. Of course they were going to win.
Now they have, there is talk of stopping aid. What an excellent way of showing the whole Middle East what democracy really is. Democracy is, "Vote for anyone you like, but if we don't like them too, we'll bring them down.
People in Palestine are suffering terrible hardship, largely because certain governments have supported Israel's ill-treatment of them for years. We are told Hamas are killers, yet nobody mentions the Israeli government's atrocities.
In the same way, our government and the Americans want a statement from Hamas about Israel's right to exist. For years, Israel has denied that Palestine exists at all. I even met a Zionist online who informed me that there are no such people as Palestinians. Yes, Israel has a right to exist, but so does Palestine (and Palestine has more right to the land, so Israel should be more respectful). Many ordinary Palestinians and Israelis have already come to that conclusion. Of course, if aid is stopped, all bets are off. For survival, Palestine will have to guard their rights even more fiercely. There is already a situation where people feel so helpless and desperate that the only solution seems to be to commit terrorist acts. Do we want to make it worse?
I say we should increase aid. If we will keep lauding democracy, let us show how glad we are that the people of Palestine had a free and fair election. We should speak to Hamas and see how we can help bring about a better life for those people we have made to suffer for so long. This isn't about whose terrorists are nicer people (America, whilst wringing its hands over Hamas, have no objection to supporting terrorists they like, such as the Israeli government and are themselves continuing their terrorism campaign against the people of Iraq. We should also never forget that, until September 2001, many influential Americans were happily paying for the bombs and bullets of the IRA). In the end, what matters is that the ordinary Palestinians get better lives. We made this mess. We should be very grateful that Hamas are willing to help us sort it out.
I assumed Hamas would win. It seemed obvious to me. I suspect the American government were confused because they are unused to elections in which the result is not under their control. It was obvious from the start that Hamas were offering everything the people of Palestine want and need. Of course they were going to win.
Now they have, there is talk of stopping aid. What an excellent way of showing the whole Middle East what democracy really is. Democracy is, "Vote for anyone you like, but if we don't like them too, we'll bring them down.
People in Palestine are suffering terrible hardship, largely because certain governments have supported Israel's ill-treatment of them for years. We are told Hamas are killers, yet nobody mentions the Israeli government's atrocities.
In the same way, our government and the Americans want a statement from Hamas about Israel's right to exist. For years, Israel has denied that Palestine exists at all. I even met a Zionist online who informed me that there are no such people as Palestinians. Yes, Israel has a right to exist, but so does Palestine (and Palestine has more right to the land, so Israel should be more respectful). Many ordinary Palestinians and Israelis have already come to that conclusion. Of course, if aid is stopped, all bets are off. For survival, Palestine will have to guard their rights even more fiercely. There is already a situation where people feel so helpless and desperate that the only solution seems to be to commit terrorist acts. Do we want to make it worse?
I say we should increase aid. If we will keep lauding democracy, let us show how glad we are that the people of Palestine had a free and fair election. We should speak to Hamas and see how we can help bring about a better life for those people we have made to suffer for so long. This isn't about whose terrorists are nicer people (America, whilst wringing its hands over Hamas, have no objection to supporting terrorists they like, such as the Israeli government and are themselves continuing their terrorism campaign against the people of Iraq. We should also never forget that, until September 2001, many influential Americans were happily paying for the bombs and bullets of the IRA). In the end, what matters is that the ordinary Palestinians get better lives. We made this mess. We should be very grateful that Hamas are willing to help us sort it out.