A number of people have asked me for my take on the Hamas’ victory in the Palestinian elections last week. I’m far from an expert in this area and I don’t have the time I need to formulate my thoughts for a public forum. But I read Daniel Pipes’ editorial yesterday and agree with it in the main. This paragraph in particular is probably the reality that most in the West don’t realize.
Not much separates Hamas anti-Zionism from Fatah anti-Zionism except that Hamas terrorists speak forthrightly while Fatah terrorists obfuscate. Even their tactics overlap, as Fatah denies the existence of Israel and Hamas negotiates with Israelis. Differing emphases and styles, more than substance, distinguishes their attitudes toward Israel.
And, in case you don’t read the whole (short) article, here’s another quote:
The Palestinian election outcome resulted partly from more than a decade of misrule by Yasser Arafat and his cronies, who stole, plotted, embezzled, and ran roughshod over their subjects. Hamas, in contrast, built a record of community service, relative probity, and modesty. Looked at positively, the success of Hamas implies that Palestinian Arabs do take other matters into consideration besides eliminating Israel. Looked at negatively, they merely prefer honest terrorists to dishonest ones.
One can hardly be surprised about their victory. By the way Todd, in reference to your previous post, everyone has known you looked like a turtle for a while, we just thought we would clue you in on it. =)