If you read this article, and only this article, about Hamas, and had never heard of the organization before, you would think that they were simply another Muslim political party in the territories.
Cash has run out, but Hamas chief optimistic
To Ismail Haniyeh, the Palestinians’ first-ever Hamas prime minister, the decision of Western countries to stop aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) is hypocritical: The long push for free and fair elections hasn’t been accompanied by support – particularly in financial terms – for the vote’s outcome.But Mr. Haniyeh shies away from belligerence, instead preferring businesslike calm with which he hopes to persuade donors to replace some of the $1 billion in annual foreign aid in jeopardy now that militant Hamas is in power.
Sure. He shies away from belligerence. From a news story two days after the CSM interview:
“Our people have the right to keep the arms of resistance and to respond to the aggression,†he told reporters. “We understand the need of our fighters for training bases to rebuild themselves. We will secure that,†he added.
And then there’s this, from yesterday:
The United States and the EU said Friday they were cutting off hundreds of millions of dollars in aid since Hamas had not agreed to revise its militant policies. Hamas has rejected demands to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept peace agreements.
“I want to affirm here that this siege and this blockade have one aim and one target, to blackmail the government,” Haniyeh told reporters in Gaza. “They are not going to blackmail us or make us give in on the rights and principles of the Palestinian people.”
Nope. Not belligerent at all. Why, he’s just some poor schlub, trying to run his government, while the evil Israelis and Americans force everyone to help starve the poor, poor, pitiful pals. And you simply have to love the last line in this paragraph:
Hardly a week into his job, Haniyeh is facing the cash-flow crisis of a lifetime. The PA cannot pay salaries for its 140,000 employees, and needs about $170 million a month to stay in business. Some $50 million a month has been promised to Hamas by the Arab League, Haniyeh says, but doesn’t come close to meeting operating expenses. The US, Canada, and the European Union have all said they will stop direct financial assistance to Palestinian institutions run by Hamas, which they deem a terrorist organization. But the EU’s foreign policy chief said Wednesday that he would like to give Hamas some time to change. The organization’s charter calls for Israel’s destruction.
It seems thrown in as an afterthought: “Oh, yeah, Hams also wants to destroy Israel. But otherwise, they’re really nice guys just trying to do their jobs!”
What? Anti-Israel bias at the CSM? You’re joking!
And now you know the *real* reason to despise Jill Carroll, who apparently has a desk job at CSM now.
That’s what I tried to say last week.
The CSM has been fanatically anti-Israel for as long as I can remember.
Yes, but it still doesn’t mean that I should have bought what she said in those propaganda videos, which is what I was saying all last week.
I can definitely start despising her if she starts writing anti-Israel screeds. But I won’t despise her for having had the misfortune of being kidnapped and held hostage for 82 days, and then saying what she said for fear of her life.
The CSM has been anti Israel since at least 1970. Its coverage of Isreal rival the Guardina in terms of palpable hostility. As for Jill Carroll even if I give her the benefit of the doubt, in her pre captive days she also worked for the Jordan Times which says it all about where her sympathies are. However I am still glad that she was freed.
Too bad she went staright back to the mouthpiece of evil. Has she learned nothing?