When Terrorists Have To Car Pool

That apparently is what Hamas has been reduced to, according to the Washington Post:

The Islamic militants who violently seized control of Gaza are selling confiscated cigarettes, smuggling cash through underground tunnels and auctioning off government vehicles to make ends meet in the face of a global economic boycott.

No bank will deal directly with Hamas, so it's making deals with moneychangers and merchants to receive funds from Iran, Arab countries and Islamic charities abroad, said Palestinian officials from the rival Fatah movement and others familiar with the group's financing.

But the Gaza Strip's borders are shut, the funding boycott is intensifying, and Hamas is feeling the squeeze. It is charging hefty fees for vehicle registration and birth certificates, big companies are being dunned for heavier taxes and Hamas officials are having to car pool

But the irony is that there is a plus for Hamas and their reputation in all of this:

And Hamas, for its part, is happy to be seen as practicing the frugality it promised when it was elected to power in January 2006 by voters fed up with Fatah's corruption and profligate ways.

...Hamas' economy minister, Ziad Zaza, said his group is making ends meet by charging for services and keeping a cleaner budget than previous Fatah governments.

For instance, Zaza said, Hamas has cut government gasoline costs by half, because "now the wife of a big officer doesn't go to an expensive clothes shop and pay for her items with gas coupons."

Salaries of senior Hamas members have been cut back by 50 percent or more, said a Palestinian working for an international aid organization. In another money-saver, surplus government vehicles are being auctioned off, and Hamas officials often ride five to a vehicle.

Of course, that doesn't mean that Hamas is not resorting to other forms of thuggish corruption--such as extortion of all sorts of 'payments,' as the Washington Post also describes.
Also, Hamas still finds money to continue attacks on Israel--both in terms of arms and propaganda:

Meanwhile, said Hillel Frisch, an Israeli political scientist specializing in Palestinian militant groups, Hamas is building up its military wing, and manages to fund its satellite TV station, two newspapers and other institutions.

Still, the apologists for Palestinian terrorists will continue to shed tears--by the bucketful--for the terrorists.

Technorati Tag: Hamas and Gaza.