You would think that the Hamas leadership would know how to be cute – they read the papers, don’t they? – and get (at least some of) what they want. But when I read the roundup of their first parliamentary decisions on Joe’s Dartblog, I decided the only papers they read were Iranian. The Hamas-cides are just not interested in playing the political game to buy a little time and money. Joe Malchow has the necesssary links for this, but this one on Ynetnews – Hamas: Zionist don’t scare us – is perhaps more revealing than it should be. That’s the kind of remark that would raise the eyebrows of any schoolboy. Why would they feel it necessary to say that… unless the Zionists really did scare them? What will be interesting to see is who, going forward, will put pressure on Israel to provide funds to a group that doesn’t recognize it. Whoever it is, I doubt they will be very successful.
UPDATE: Countering (minutely) what I have just written, the Jerusalem Post has a “exclusive” on Hamas writing a new charter:
At closed meetings in hotel suites in Beirut and Damascus, Hamas has been developing a new charter that is designed to showcase a more moderate and non anti-Semitic face, one of those advising on its content has told The Jerusalem Post.
Yet this new document, acknowledged Dr. Azzam Tamimi, 51, the Hebron-born director of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought in London, would still call for an end to the Jewish state and the creation of a Palestinian state on all of mandatory Palestine.
It would, he said, provide for the possibility of a long-term hudna (cease-fire accommodation) with an Israel limited to its pre-1967 borders.
A long-term hudna? Just how long did they have in mind? Six weeks? Six years? How can anyone take that religious psychosis seriously?… Here’s a slogan for a new Neville Chamberlain – “There will be a hudna in our time!”
PJM Home
Pajamas Media appreciates your comments that abide by the following guidelines:
1. Avoid profanities or foul language unless it is contained in a necessary quote or is relevant to the comment.
2. Stay on topic.
3. Disagree, but avoid ad hominem attacks.
4. Threats are treated seriously and reported to law enforcement.
5. Spam and advertising are not permitted in the comments area.
The clause regarding "hate speech" has been deleted because readers criticized it as being too loosely defined. We agreed.
These guidelines are very general and cannot cover every possible situation. Please don't assume that Pajamas Media management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment. We reserve the right to filter or delete comments or to deny posting privileges entirely at our discretion. If you feel your comment was filtered inappropriately, please email us at story@pajamasmedia.com.
9 Comments
1. Ron:What a great coined word, Hamas-cides! This is the most apt word possible for these killers. Sometimes a word is born that so fills the void of description it becomes slated for inclusion in Webster’s dictionary. Kudos’ to Roger! Is there just one person in that ‘political party’ of Hamas-cides that isn’t a murderer or would like to be? Name one person in that group of thugs who hasn’t tasted the blood of innocents, what a group of crazies has been born.
Feb 19, 2006 - 9:44 am 2. heather:If we can get away with a war that does not include nuclear conflict, I think we will be lucky.
Anyway. Off Topic. Since you are my Movie Guy, Roger, I want to say that the movie CAPOTE is completely totally excellent. The acting was marvellous (whatsisname should get tons of Oscars) and the writer should be rewarded with plentiful awards also. I am afraid that all the silliness over Brokeback Mountain (which has become a joke out here in the hinterland) has met that people have blown off CAPOTE as just another “gay movie.” And it isn’t. It is indeed, about “cold blood.” And sin, WITHOUT redemption.
Feb 19, 2006 - 11:23 am 3. Kevin Peters:Roger:
There will be no shortage of groups who will take Hamas’s “generous” offer of postponing the destruction of Israel as a huge first step that must be followed by Israel and the West funding Hamas so they can build up their war machine that will be dumped on Israel when they decide the time is right. When Arafat scuttled the two state solution of Oslo there were sudden discussions among Western academia that the two state solution, that was promoted by these very same people, was no longer feasable and that a one state, of course dominated by the Palestinians, was the new goal to shoot for.
Instaed of telling Hamas that they must take the same step that Arafat took,even though I doubt the sincerity of that thugs intentions, recognition of some permanent Stae of Israel and a Palestinian state as well. It will have various forms of intellectual window dressing but eventually Israel and the U.S. will come under pressure to fund Hamas without demanding that Hamas recognize an independent Israel. We will be told that if we meet Hamas halfway they will change their goals. And of course we know they won’t. This new charter will probably drop the disgusting calls for the destruction of zionists and Jews but it will still call for the elimination of Israel. I guess Hamas should be given credit for just asking the Jews to leave or accept a dhimmi state, rather then just killing them. What a big first step!
Feb 19, 2006 - 2:20 pm 4. dougf:The Hamas-cides are just not interested in playing the political game to buy a little time and money.
Well as contemptuous of Hamas and all its like-minded ‘religious’ brother Parties, as I am, i still must say that they deserve credit for intellectual honesty, if for nothing else.
Why should they play games with a corrupt and bankrupt West? Sooner or later, the West will cave and even if they don’t, most of the ‘aid ‘went into Fatah pockets anyway, so the average doofus on the famous ARAB STREET will likely not even notice the difference.
Meanwhile Hamas gets bonus marks for ‘devotion’ and willingness to stand up to the ‘oppressors’.
They can’t lose by playing the ‘honest but poor’ card. Even if this is all pretense they can’t lose. The really bad part is of course that it isn’t pretense at all . They are perfectly serious. Deadly, fanatic, medieval, but honest.It is the West that remains largely a poor joke.
Frankly I am glad they were elected. Fatah needed to go. Now they are essentially gone, and the future will not be like the past. Considering what the past really was like, perhaps that is not altogether a bad thing.
Feb 19, 2006 - 5:44 pm 5. Terrye:For a bunch of people who can not even pick up their trash or turn on their own lights Hamas is getting ahead of itself.
I am tired of these people and their incessant homicadal chanting and carrying on. They exist because other people take care of them. Maybe it is time we told them to grow up and take care of themselves.
I have no idea what will happen, but Fatah was corrupt and not a lot better than Hamas. The Israelis need to keep building that fence and disengage as much as possible. Meanwhile the Palestinians can go on being a case study in social dysfunction and religious mania.
Feb 19, 2006 - 6:55 pm 6. Lem:Hama’s hudna offer has as much value as Osama’s truce talk in his latest tape. The idea that it could be taken seriously says more about our resolve or lack of it.
Speaking of coinage, today’s Safire On Language is about blogosphere lingo. In a word, it was blogolicious.
Feb 19, 2006 - 7:19 pm 7. Kevin Peters:dougf:
The sad part of this situation is that so many in the west will try to pretend that nothing has changed and they will ignore the openly stated murderous genocide that hamas has promised. They will ignore their statements and put all the blame on Israel and America and they will rationalize the outright plans for death clearly outlined by Hamas. granted, since, unlike Arafat, their is nothing nuanced in their words so it will be far harder but that will not stop them. “Yes, they have promised to kill you but we must negotiate with them otherwise the cycle of violence will continue.” “But they have promised to continue the violence anyway.” “Well, sometimes it is better to lose your arms and legs to save the head” “But it is my arms and legs that you are sacraficing, not yours.” ” You just don’t see the big picture and you are stuck in the old paradigm, you must reach out with the spirit of love.” “but I have no arms.” “You have a good point there but do what I say anyway.” ” Trust me, they don’t mean what they say, they just need to let off a little steam.”
Feb 19, 2006 - 7:52 pm 8. Kevin Peters:Roger:
Feb 19, 2006 - 8:18 pm 9. jedrury:I apologize for wasting so much of your bandspace but the insanity of this situation makes me want to scream. Why did we start giving aid to the PLO? Because they abandoned their goal, at least on paper, of the elimination of the state of Israel. Hamas gets in power and says the hell with that, it’s back to the old gameplan. But if you stop sending us aid you are at fault. What balls! But why not. They already have a large section of the academic elite pleading their case even though they have gone back to the state of war. And when many of us refered to Arafat and his gang as a corrupt bunch of thieves the left was giving Arafat peace prizes and calling them the legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people. But now that they need to make excuses for Hamas now they refer to Arafat’s party as a bunch of corrupt thieves. And they see no absurdity in their words. Up is down, down is up.
Kevin is right. Just as the left repackaged that killer Arafat and showered him with peace prizes, it will try to repackage the killers Hamas.
Steven Erlanger has an informative piece in the Times online this morning. I am heartened to read about the tough position taken by Olmert on the money.
Feb 20, 2006 - 12:40 am