Moderation, Thy Name is Hamas

Honest Reporting on Hamas' takeover of control of the PA:

On Saturday, the Hamas terror group, whose charter calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and the murder of Jews, took its place as the majority party of the new Palestinian Authority legislature.

Ismail Haniyeh was chosen as the new Palestinian Authority Prime Minister. Much of the media is describing this terrorist leader as "pragmatic" or "moderate."

Yes, why can't more terrorist leaders who are dedicated to the destruction of Israel be moderate like Ismail? And of course, it will be necessary for Israelto allow time for this "moderation" to express itself. Will the West tell Israel to make some goodwill concessions as well?

[Update: Sure enought, the ever-reliable--and predictable--Jimmy Carter advises "Don't Punish the Palestinians" Among the expected silliness, he writes:

The spokesman for Hamas claimed, "We want a peaceful unity government." If this is a truthful statement, it needs to be given a chance.

The problem with this of course is that it only refers to Hamas' desire to have a peaceful government without in-fighting. All of Hamas' statements about Israel both in public and in their Covenant indicate that they want to wipe it off the face of the earth. Thanks.

Carter's other suggestion for bringing peace:

A negotiated agreement is the only path to a permanent two-state solution, providing peace for Israel and justice for the Palestinians. In fact, if Israel is willing to include the Palestinians in the process, Abbas can still play this unique negotiating role as the unchallenged leader of the PLO (not the government that includes Hamas

But once again, Carter is foiled by reality. According to Arutz Sheva:

Bolstered by its victory over Fatah in Palestinian Authority parliamentary elections, the Hamas is aiming for control over the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

In any case, Carter does not make clear how negotiating with Abbas now would suddenly be any more fruitful than in past years, since Abbas has not fulfilled his obligations under the Road Map thus far.]

Honest Reporting points out that though the mantle of "moderation" and "pragmatism" conveyed by the New York Times, The BBC, The Associated Press, and Reuters

Today, there is no evidence Haniyeh has indicated he is in favor of changing the Hamas charter, rejecting violence, or recognizing Israel. Without these basic steps, it is difficult to see how anyone can accurately define him as "pragmatic."

Ah yes, a terrorist leader only the Mainstream Media could love.

So what did a moderate, pragmatic group like Hamas do when it took the reins of power? Joe's Dartblog notes:

Low comedy from deep within the Muslim world, newly represented by double talking terrorists. Just yesterday, Hamas came into power. As I noted, its first order of business was to indemnify itself—rhetorically, if not legally—from the obligations of Oslo, and to assert that, no, the nation of Israel does not have the right to exist in this world. Despite Hamas’ being essentially a successor government (and thus required under international law to abide by treaties to which the previous government acceded), the party has renounced any treaty that recognized Israel.

Can you guess what the second order of business was? That’s right: to condemn Israel’s decision to cease sending cash to the Palestinian Authority. Specifically, $42.2 million. Since the PA and its new Hamas bosses run almost entirely on the swiftly-eroding goodwill of the rest of the world (terrorism doesn’t pay very well), Hamas is now demanding that Israel reconsider its decision to cut funding. A representative said: “This is a faulty decison, and the Israelis must reconsider their decision. It will only increase hatred.”

The title of the post is "The Terror Authority Springs Into Nonsensical Action."

Apparently, Hamas got a handle on Mideast politics pretty fast.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Hamas and Terorism and Haniyeh.