If we won't fight, at least quit assisting our enemies

Ventura County Star ^ | 6-28-07 | Clifford D. May

[SJackson]

Extremists link up with extremists." So said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this week upon hearing that Ayman al-Zawahri, the top deputy to Osama bin Laden, had released a message enthusiastically supporting Hamas' bloody takeover of Gaza.

Public relations-wise, Hamas' leaders are pretty savvy. So last week, while Hamas gunmen were slaughtering their Palestinian opponents, they also were placing ludicrously disingenuous Op-Eds in several U.S. newspapers.

This week, Hamas attempted to distance itself from the al-Zawahri. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said simply: "Hamas has its own program. We want to have good relations with all Arab and Muslim powers."

The truth is that Hamas and al-Qaida are — ideologically — connected at the hip. Both are in the business of waging what they believe will be the final war against the infidels.

Eighteen months ago, Hamas defeated its rival, Fatah, in an election that was praised as a groundbreaking exercise in democracy. But ballot boxes alone do not a democratic society make.

Hamas never sincerely transformed itself into a political party. One point on which Hamas and Fatah emphatically agree: free speech and other basic rights are not to be extended to Palestinians who oppose them.

Even this discount version of democracy quickly broke down. Apparently, tiring of palaver, Hamas launched a civil war in Gaza. The "human-rights community" hardly seemed to notice. The "human-rights community" is not much interested in Muslim-on-Muslim violence — or in any violence carried out in the name of Islam, except to the extent it can be blamed on the United States and Israel.

Now, Hamas rules Gaza with no pretense of democracy remaining. Fatah has retreated to the West Bank where it struggles to retain control.

The sensible thing for Israel to do would be to seal its border with Gaza. At the same time, the United States and Europe should cut off all aid. But never expect sense when it comes to the Mideast. Instead, both the U.S and Europe plan to assist Hamas, if not directly then via the United Nations.

Reportedly, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has "acceded" to the request of Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas to continue supplying Gaza with food, drugs, medical services, clean water and electricity. In addition, Israel, the U.S. and the Europeans are falling all over themselves to give Abbas money.

Here's an idea: Why doesn't Olmert, hand in glove with Washington and the Europeans, too, if possible, make a few requests of Abbas? Instead of giving him their unconditional support, why not set a few new benchmarks?

Why not tell him it's time to disarm — or at least disavow — such Fatah terrorist factions as the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades? Why not demand that he finally end incitement to terrorism in Palestinian media, mosques and schools? Wouldn't he send a message by stating that another generation of Palestinians should not be sacrificed in pursuit of the genocidal dream of Israel's annihilation?

Right now, extremists from al-Qaida, Hamas, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere are linking up to humiliate and, they are confident, eventually defeat the civilized world. Isn't it time the civilized world at least stopped assisting them?

— Clifford D. May is president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a policy institute focusing on terrorism.

[quant5]

This writer makes sense but no one in Washington wants to hear it. I say let Fatah fall to Hamas. Fatah was more then willing to kill Jews when it was convenient for their political ends. When Fatah is gone, Israel can now go into Gaza, destroy the enemies and secure the hell of it and we support Israel this way as we have always done. I am ashamed of our leadership right now on so many levels this is just another demonstration of insane foreign policy on my tax-paying dime.