The Siege Of Gaza--By Hamas

In What About Hamas's Siege of Gaza?, Khaled Abu Toameh writes about the terrorist leaders of Gaza--the ones to whom the world is in a hurry to hand over aid:

As Israeli naval commandos raided the flotilla ship convoy that was on its way to the Gaza Strip, Hamas security officers stormed the offices of five non-governmental organizations, confiscated equipment and documents, and ordered them closed indefinitely.

Ever since it seized control over the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007, Hamas has imposed a reign of terror on the local population in general and its critics in particular. Hamas has brought nothing to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip other than death and disaster.


The raid on the NGOs in the Gaza Strip, which received little coverage in the media, is seen by many Palestinians as part of Hamas's ongoing crackdown on political opponents and human rights organizations.

Further, Hamas's recent decision to ban municipal elections in the Gaza Strip is yet another violation of one of the basic rights of its constituents.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been arrested by Hamas's security forces for daring to speak out against the state of tyranny and intimidation in the Gaza Strip. Over the past three years, dozens of Fatah officials and members have either been thrown into prison or killed.

With the world's focus on the Gaza Flotilla, did anyone notice what Hamas was up to?

Statement by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry

I am deeply concerned at reports from Gaza that Hamas has broken into a number of NGO offices in Gaza City and Rafah in recent days and closed them down, confiscating their materials and equipment in the process. This targeting of NGOs, including UN partner organizations, is unacceptable, violating accepted norms of a free society and harming the Palestinian people. The de facto authorities must cease such repressive steps and allow the re-opening of these civil society institutions without delay.

Serry gives no details of what was taken--but Marty Peretz does:

In fact, just hours and days after the NGOs of Gaza—a motley group made up largely of pacifists who happen to admire and support Palestinian violence against the Jews— celebrated the ephemeral propaganda victory of Hamas over the Israel Defense Forces, the command of the mainstream Jihadist fanatics shut down the offices of some self-styled human-rights organizations. The Muslim extremists also confiscated files, computers and other records. There was particular emphasis in the seizures on women’s health and educational organizations.

Other than a short perfunctory statement from the UN, was there an outcry from those humanitarian groups?
Instead, the flotilla, and the world reaction to it provides Hamas with just the cover it needs--and which those who claim to be humanitarian activists unthinkingly provide:

The flotilla incident came at a time when Hamas appeared to be losing its popularity among Palestinians, largely due to the deteriorating economic situation in the Gaza Strip. It also came at a time when even some of Hamas's supporters were beginning to criticize the movement, especially over its decision to demolish scores of "illegal" houses in the southern Gaza Strip and the execution of criminals and "collaborators" with Israel.

The bottom line, as Toameh points out, is that those who think they are actually helping Gazans through such attention-grabbing stunts as the flotilla are blind to the real world consequences of their actions.

 But those who only seek confrontation with Israel in the sea are only emboldening Hamas and helping it tighten its grip on the people of Gaza Strip.

Hamas is already reaping the rewards of the flotilla--while Gazans get nothing.

Technorati Tag: Gaza Flotilla and Gaza and Hamas.