Wednesday, February 01, 2006


Palestinians Resent Donor Nations' Pressure on Hamas - Los Angeles Times --
This Los Angeles Times story suggests that trying to isolate Hamas will only make them more popular as the efforts will be labeled as anti-Palestinian rather than anti-Hamas.

"Why do the Americans and the Europeans want to control our lives, and tell us who we should have voted for?" asks one Palestinian. The sociology of religion tells us that feelings of persecution tends to intensify belief and there is no reason to think that political fervor is any different.

I tend to believe that Hamas will only be perceived as a failure (if they actually fail at local government) only if they are given few plausible excuses, so total disengagement on the part of the United States can't really hurt them and might actually help by providing a ready scapegoat for any problems.
(7:17 PM)

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