In his op-ed for the LA Times, Mousa Abu Marzook wrote:

But what of the characterization by the West of our movement as beyond the pale of civilized discourse? Our "militant" stance cannot by itself be the disqualifying factor, as many armed struggles have historically resulted in a place at the table of nations. Nor can any deny the reasonableness of our fight against the occupation and the right of Palestinians to have dignity, justice and self-rule.

No less than Norman Finkelstein described Marzook's piece as "masterful prose - a scathing but heartfelt portrait."

Apparently, that's not the only thing that is scathing about Hamas:

The body of a Palestinian man was delivered to a hospital Monday, a week after he was abducted by Hamas militants in what appeared to be a new case of vigilante justice by the Islamic group following its takeover of the Gaza Strip.

Mahir Abu Dhalfa , 45, was nabbed last week by Hamas' Executive Force in Gaza City. Early Monday, his body was brought to Shifa Hospital with signs of suffocation, Palestinian medical officials said.

Hamas promised amnesty for its vanquished Fatah rivals in the Gaza Strip, which the Islamic militant group violently seized last month. But since then, at least nine Fatah loyalists have been killed, according to local human rights workers.

Marzook is right--their "'militant' stance cannot by itself be the disqualifying factor". It probably has more to do with their being terrorists who murder Israeli civilians, and being animals who kill their own people.

But that's only a guess.

Technorati Tag: Hamas.