That’s funny, I thought Hamas wanted to make peace with Israel and settle down to live quietly ever after in Gaza. I mean, the New York Times op-ed people told us so!
Or not.
Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal on Wednesday commented on the assassination of the organization’s military chief Ahmed Jabari by the Israel Defense Forces while addressing a conference in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.
“You killed Jabari and you can go on and kill Mashaal and others, but in the end it’ll pave our way to Jerusalem… Assassinating our leaders will only make us more powerful,” said the man who survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Jordan some 15 years ago.
Really? Because last week, after Syrian tanks crossed into the DMZ, and Syrian mortars landed on an Israeli military post, Israel sent some tank fire Syria’s way. The result?
The regime in Damascus has pledged to prevent its army from accidentally firing rockets towards Israeli territories, conveying the message via the UN force charged with implementing the ceasefire between Syria and Israel, Channel 1 reported Tuesday.
And that’s what it’s all about.
As for that vaunted urge to become a martyr, funny how when given the chance, they all politely decline.
Fears over additional targeted killings forced Hamas leaders to go underground and avoid attending Jabari’s funeral on Thursday. Members of the military wing were not the only ones who went into hiding, but also the political echelon – including Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh and senior group member Mahmoud al-Zahar.
Cowards. They are brave when declaiming from a podium in another country, but they’re all in underground bunkers as I write this.
I’m sure the Hamas brass will say, like Sir Rodney in the comic strip The Wizard of Id, “That’s not chicken, that’s owl.” They are too important to the cause as commanders and political leaders to be caught out in the rain, not when it’s raining smart bombs and Hellfire missiles. Much better to be la poule, not le poulet (a live chicken vs a dead one).
Yalla Zahal!