| May 2012 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | ||
Hamas is making noises about being "blackmailed" and "looking for alternative sources" of financing.
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- A top Hamas official said Tuesday the Islamic militant group will not be "blackmailed" by international threats to cut off aid to the Palestinians and is searching for new sources of funding.
Osama Hamdan, a member of the group's exiled leadership, spoke a day after international donors that support the Palestinian government said millions of dollars of aid could be in jeopardy if Hamas does not change its violent ways.
Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide attacks, is poised to lead the next Palestinian government after winning legislative elections.
"We are looking for alternative sources and we will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed," Hamdan said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from Beirut, Lebanon.
Wouldn't it be fascinating if Iran, Syria, North Korea or Saudi Arabia made itself still more of a blatant supporter of terrorism, and still more of an international pariah, by financing Hamastan?
It's a pathetic play on the part of Hamas. Iran or Syria would be happy to do it, but they may not want want to give away that much money. Hamastan has gotten itself caught in a wringer. It's dependent for financing on the free world it wants to destroy.
#1
#2That's a great point. Hopefully that will work in our favor.
I have no doubt that Israel's surrender of Gaza to the Palestinians is one of the things that has encouraged fundamentalist Islamists to think they can now force their will on the whole world, for example by demanding that we not have free speech.
It's very much not surprising that Hamas' pleas to their Arab and Muslim brethren are falling on deaf ears. It follows history. The Arab countries have always used the Palestinians as pawns in their game to gain power in the Middle East. They couldn't care less what happens to the refugees, have no desire to allow any Palestinian to be citizens in their country (with the exception of Jordan), yet they cry for equal rights for the Palestinian people. They know that as long as the Palestinians remain nationless people, they can still attack Israel and call for its legitimacy to be revoked. They don't the Palestinian situation to be resolved. So, why give money? It doesn't help their cause. Who cares about the Palestinians? They're not really people, anyway.
-OC