Why Hamas won

[channa18]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/677690.html

There are two campaigns of far-reaching significance - for Israel too - that Hamas has won during the past year: the war of terrorism and the war of the elections. And undoubtedly the victory in the elections is closely related to the victory in the war of terrorism.

In the wake of the suicide bombers' offensive, Israel capitulated and - totally contrary to its founding ideology, Zionism - uprooted flourishing communities. The Palestinians chuckled upon hearing Ariel Sharon and his supporters' claims that Israel, of its own volition and not because of the terrorism, chose to capitulate. If it was voluntary, asked Mahmud Zahar in the summer, then why was it withdrawing only now, after shahids (martyrs) had attacked them so aggressively? Palestinian voters therefore gave most of the credit for the withdrawal, and rightly so, to Hamas. That is the reason why they elected Hamas as their representatives, and not because of the corruption in Fatah - a flimsy excuse offered by the masterminds of the concept that Fatah, despite its corruption, is the leading force among the Palestinians.

By electing Hamas, the Palestinian public consciously chose a path of blood, sweat and tears - the cost of continuing terrorism. And if, after what it has gone through in the past few difficult years it still chose the path of war and suffering (although from its perspective also a path of hope and dreams), there is no escaping the conclusion that for the sake of realizing its national goals - and in the case of Hamas, its religious ones as well - the Palestinians, unlike the Israelis, are willing to offer a lot of sacrifices.

Moreover, after the flight from Gaza the Palestinians are convinced that Israel, even if it tarries, will withdraw at the end of the process to the 1967 lines, which Fatah will make do with, or at least has said it would. Consequently, if they really could make do with these borders, they could elect Abu Mazen's people. But because they will not settle for the 1967 lines, and are willing to continue waging an endless war with no compromises that will lead to the fulfillment of their vision in its entirety - the elimination of the Zionist entity and the establishment of an Islamic Palestinian state, as the Hamas charter promises, on the entire territory of the land of Israel - they favored Hamas. And in electing Hamas, the Palestinians also declared that they are part of the worldwide Islamic movement, whose admired hero and flag bearer is Osama Bin Laden.

...................................................

:):)

[Lexingtonian]

1. I think

this is the most screwed up attempt at political "thinking" I've ever seen in an Israeli paper. It literally has the logic wrong or backwards on absolutely everything. Well, in the places where you can claim there's intelligence or logic operating- most of it is simply paranoia articulated and Right wing talking points being parroted.

I was sure for moment that it had to be a piece from the JPost. The truly most shocking thing about this article is that it was printed in Ha'Aretz.

[bemildred]

2. Another mind reader.

Pulls all sorts of opinions about what the "Palestinian voters" were up to straight out of his ass. Some of it is just repeating pro-Hamas propaganda, the part about who got the "credit" for the Gaza retreat, which is sort of funny.

[Coastie for Truth]

3. More likely "Big City Machine" Politics Played A Part

Jobs (even if political patronage)
Schools
Health Clinics
"Pressing The Flesh"