Storm Clouds

And so … Hamas is democratically elected to lead the Palestinians. Although many lament the election result, I think it's a good thing.

Hamas is a terrorist group that has taken responsibility for over 60 terrorist attacks that have killed hundreds of innocent civilians. Hamas unequivocally states that Israel has no right to exist and has preached armed struggle until Israel is destroyed. The US, the EU, and the rest of the world knows exactly where they stand. A good thing.

For decades, the Palestinian ruling faction, Fatah, said one thing (we want peace) to the West (who naively accepted their words) while at the same time condoning terror and practicing a corrupt form of government that siphoned billions in Western aid.

Apologists within the US and international media attribute the Palestinians' vote to a rejection of 30 years of Fatah corruption. There's some truth to that, but you'd think the Palestinans might realize that a corrupt government should be replaced by ethical people of good will, not a equally corrupt gang of murderous thugs. Oh, I almost forgot, the media never fails to mention that Hamas does charitable good works within Gaza and the West bank -- as if that somehow mitigates the suicide bombings.

In a comment at The Belmont Club blog, “Whit” summarizes the situation harshly:

Hamas is an Islamist organization whose primary purpose is to bring jihad and sharia to Palestine. The total destruction of Israel and annihilation of all Jews is the centerpiece of the Hamas charter. For too long, the Europeans have ignored these facts and for whatever reasons (anti-semitism, multi-culti dhimmitude, anti-americanism) [and] have subsidised the terrorists with hundreds of millions of dollars per year. Perhaps now that the Iranians are threatening nuclear destruction, and the Palestinian people in democratic elections have made their intentions unequivocally clear, the world will begin to see the truth about Islam. Perhaps Europe will stop subsidizing terror and Israel will be allowed to defend itself without the universal condemnation of the UN.

Or maybe not. It may be that with all pretenses dropped, the issues will clarified, sides will be chosen and the dogs of war will once again be let loose.

The Middle East is roiled by the existence of a tiny country no bigger than New Jersey. In little more than a half century, Israel has risen from nothing into a regional economic, cultural, scientific, and military power, while the Arab nation, with a population and land mass more than one hundred times it’s size, does little more than spew hatred and (irrationally) blames this tiny country for all of its internal ills.

Now the Palestinians will be led by Hamas, who will perpetuate this irrationality. Storm clouds are gathering.