So it looks like the terrorist group Hamas is now the official Palestinian government, but this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has read my "Break Their Will" series of posts about the need to undermine the Palestinians' widespread support for terrorism. As I wrote and quoted:
This poll of Palestinians taken in September, 2002, is not very encouraging. Here are some stats:
- 52% oppose peace negotiations with Israel.
- 73% are pessimistic of a reaching a peaceful settlement to the conflict.
- 66% are opposed to the Oslo agreement.
- 80% support the continuation of the al-Aqsa Intifada.
- 53% believe that the Intifada will achieve its object.
- 65% support suicide bombing operations against Israeli civilians [the poll question specifically mentions civilians].
These poll numbers support my belief that the Palestinian people themselves are a part of the problem, and need to be cowed.
Dealing with the Palestinians as a real state for the past 15 years has only made the situation deteriorate, and now we're stuck trying to figure out what to do with a democratically elected terrorist govnerment. Don't forget: the Palestinian government, now Hamas, is almost entirely funded by charity from Western nations.
Overall, this seems like a self-destructive move by the Palestinian people. It's hard to see how a Hamas-controlled government will be able to gain any consessions from Israel or any civilized nation. More likely this election will just hasten the implosion of the Palestinian territory.
