Surprised?
The above cartoon is by Steve Bell from the Guardian
In case you don't get it, that is an image of Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the nearly blind, crippled quadriplegic, that the Israeli government killed in 2004 using a helicopter gunship. Two body guards and six other bystanders were killed in the same attack.
Sheik Ahmed Yassin was one of leaders and founders of Hammas.
There is a way between voice and presence where information flows.
In disciplined silence it opens.
With wandering talk it closes. .... Rumi
9:19 AMDear Maxine,
Time to get out the popcorn and enjoy the fireworks!
Dear Ihath,
This reminds me of elections in Latin America, where you get to choose between the Fascists or the Communists. When the people elect to throw the bums out, they only switch bums.
Although the pic you posted shows the Israel flag being shot through, it remains to be seen if the ordinary Palestinians will not become the real targets of Hamas. From what I've been reading, Hamas wants to bless the Palestinians with a strict Islamic state. My understanding is that it is their first priority.
Later...
9:50 AM
dear anonymous
things are not so simple ... hamas' leaders themselves did not expect to win elections. their further expectations were to win a comfortable opposition rate, so that, they can criticize at their ease. now they have a real problem to handle : from a side if they want to act as real political party, they have to concede many of their basic principles and lose their support among their electoral basis. and from other side if they stand on the same positions as usual, they will be isolated internally and they won't be able to change nothing for the everyday life conditions of palestinian people. it's a big dilemma ...
7:45 AM
The real question is: What is next?
The Fatah Party was so corrupt it makes Canada's Liberal Party look like a paragon of virtue. Hamas was the only alternative, sadly. It seems similar to Egypt's election where Mubarak's NDP faces off against the Muslim Brotherhood....it's worse than the Louisiana Governor's Race in 91 where the choices were crooked and now jailed former Governor Edwin Edwards and neo-nazi David Duke...in standard Louisiana humor, there were tons of bumper stickers saying, "Vote for the crook."
Hamas' victory is bad for Israel, but also bad for Palestinians, especially Christian Palestinians. ON the up side, Hamas now has the burden of governing,so they will have to deal with fedral governng issues, and to deal with the consequences of their decisions.
Anon> I see the same issue as Latin America had the choices of extremist A or extremist B. As for a super-strict Islamic state, it won't last. Hopefully antherpaty will emerge similar, an Islamic equivalent to the Christian Democrats in Europe, a conservative party that will promote free market economics with limited social programs, but won't outlaw fun, and will hopefully work to increase tourism, which Palestine has plenty to offers from beautiful seaside Gaza property to the millenia of history in the West Bank.
12:04 PM
not simple at all - but a good laugh indeed! :D
12:44 AM
For the sake of fueling a little thought I'll quote something I wrote on another blog:
'm not at all surprised by what happened in Palestine. The writing has been on the wall as to the state of Palestinian society for a long time, obvious to everyone who doesn't have a taste for denial.
As an example, I was shocking the first I met a nice liberal, modern, westernized Palestinian like the woman who runs ihath.com and realize that she reveres monsters like Arafat and Sheik Yassin. It's not the fact she reveres men who were mass murders that shocks me, its that she revers men who worked directly on a project to doom Palestinian children to death and maiming, who worked to make war a permanent state... In short I'm not shocked that Palestinians hate Israelis, I'm shocked that they care nothing for their own children, their own society and their own future.
But hate fueled blindness is not at all unusual among Palestinians.
6:42 AM
It never ceases to amaze me how two people can read the same blog and come away with two very different impressions of the blog writer or other commentators. I think people don't take enough to time to understand the other person's point of view. They also forget that blogs are written words and the reader shouldn't draw hasty conclusions, presumptions and assumptions about the tone of these words.
Anonymous (12:44), Ihath is not Palestinian. Nor have I ever got the impression she "revers" without question, certain leaders or figure heads of any country.
"But hate fueled blindness is not at all unusual among Palestinians. (Anon)"
nor is it amongst other groups of people, like Israeli settlers, whose children are also taught to hate in a similarily virulent way. Humans of all kinds tend to behave in this way unfortunately, all over the world.
6:36 PM
Hana> Well, that is common for someone to interpret writings in different ways.
As I noticed,Ihath had no love for Saruman...er Yassin. She described him as a demagouge and while I share his hatred for the French and Russian Revolutions (especially being descended of Louisiana aristos), I do not support organizations like Hamas anymore than I'd support the IRA (as much as I want Ulster to be Irish and free of the British dole).
Ihath's view of Arafat is not one I share. He struck me as a wolvish shepherd and did a great deal of harm for his people, acting as a benefactor.
To me, there is no reason that Palestinians and Jewish settlers couldn't have gotten along. The settlers could have contributed a great deal to the Palestinian lands and there could be prosperity and capitialism. It is easy to have a much vaunted cause and hate an enemy and love a struggle. It is harder to cooperate, to make commerce with a foe and evolve old hatreds into football (soccer) matches.
Ihath's husband is both Israeli and Palestinian. I can imagine that would cause many heads to explode :) Ihath is not Palstinian, but Iraqi and Czech (being from Prague, I'd wager Bohemian).
As a New Orleanian, I happen to enjoy a good meal, and I remember that kosher and halal have very similar rules, and it is possible for a meal to be both kosher and halal. Perhaps that could be regarded as food for thought.
12:29 AM
who really cares about some old and blind faggot muslim terrorist? the only sad thing is that he probably died quickly and without much paid.
11:55 PM
It never ceases to amaze me how people would always get to interpret one's writings or feelings, and even fight over who's interpretation is correct, without taking the shortcut and ask HIM/HER for him/her opinion (about him/her original opinion :)
But still this is very human. On the other hand, what is not human is to take distructive, explosive, bloody, and evil military actions based on your interpretation to other peoples feelings.... or is it human too??!! define "human"
think,
USA - Democracy - Iraqi people want it our way - war
OR
USA - Palestinians doesn't like Hamas - fule the Isreali war machine
OR
still to come
USA - Nuclear power for research - Iran will Abuse it - war
take the common factor:
(USA - WAR)(every thing else)
I don't think there will be any fighting over the interpretation of my opinions here :) it'a our fault, we have to be solid clear :)
2:01 AM
long live palestine
google
'how to become an israeli journalist!!
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