Hamas hit political paydirt in the Palestinian elections. 76 out of 132 seats in the Palestinian legislature, compared to 43 for Fatah. And the turnout was impressive - approximately 78 percent of Palestinian voters showed up to cast their votes.
It's frightening. Very.
And what's perhaps more appalling is what some of the Democratic elite have to say:
Jimmy Carter: The ex-Pres was interviewed on Friday. Although he acknowledged that the "so-called terrorists" had an element "who deny Israel's right to exist," he reminded us that "there have been no complaints of corruption against [their] elected officials." Oh, goodie. I feel much better now. I'm reminded of the people that called a choice between "Saddam" and "you die" a free Iraqi election.
Carter also said that "sometimes you have to learn to work with terrorists."
Um....no. No, Mr. Carter, you really don't.
And Howard Dean is apparently pretty soft on Hamas, too. Some of his more memorable statements:
“I will say, however, that there is a war going on in the Middle East, and members of Hamas are soldiers in that war.” (CNN’s “Wolf Blitzer Reports,” 9/10/03)
“Sooner or later … Arafat is going to leave the scene, either by the usual means in the Middle East, which is some sort of political violence, or the fact that he’s in his late 60s and he’s got a lot of miles on him. When that happens, I think Hamas will probably take over. There will probably be good and bad out of that. The bad, of course, is that Hamas is a terrorist organization. However, if they have to run a quasi-state, they may actually have to be more responsible and start negotiations …” (CBC/PBS’ “The Editors,” 1/3/98)
Wow, so now they'll be more responsible in killing innocent people? Oh, joy. FYI, even Pelosi and Kerry took issue with Dean's pro-Hamas attitude. How scary is that?
Some have said that the Palestinian election is proof that the democratic process there is working. I think it more likely bears out the old adage of people getting the government they deserve.
The election is being billed as a protest against the ineffectiveness of Abbas' government, but it's something far more frightening. This election represents the choice of a people to install terrorism as a government. To vote for state-sanctioned murder. And it has raised the attacks of Hamas from terrorist attacks of the lunatic fringe to the level of acts of war, condoned, planned, and perpetrated by a terrorist state.
Not a terrorist group - a state. The ramifications of that are deadly serious.
Think of having Mexico or Canada vote to install Al Qaeda as their government. How would we react? How would we need to react?
What position is Israel placed in now?
Various media outlets have been talking about Hamas' "humanitarian" pursuits, citing that they provide healthcare, fund soup kitchens, orphanages, etc.
Make no mistake about it. These are murderers. This is an organization that refers to suicide bombers as the "F-16's" of Palestine, and states that it believes that peace talks are useless.
Some of Hamas' not-quite-so-humanitarian efforts - 2000 through 2004:
April 17,2004 - A suicide bomber detonates himself at the workers terminal crossing in the Erez industrial area. One border policeman killed, two wounded. Two Israeli civilians wounded.
March 14, 2004 - Two suicide bombers detonate an explosive belt and bag at the Ashdod port. Ten Israelis killed, 12 wounded.
March 6, 2004 - Suicide bombers in three vehicles detonate at Palestinian checkpoints at the Erez crossing, detonating two car bombs while firing at the Israeli checkpoint. Two Palestinian policemen killed.
Jan. 29, 2004 - A suicide bomber detonates a bag of explosives on the No. 19 bus line on Aza Street in Jerusalem. Ten Israelis and one foreigner killed, forty-four injured.
Jan. 14, 2004 - A female suicide bomber detonates her explosive belt at the workers terminal at Erez. Four Israelis killed, five wounded.
Sept. 9, 2003 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device at the entrance of the "Hillel Café" in Jerusalem. Seven Israelis killed, seventy injured.
Sept. 9 , 2003 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device at a bus stop near the IDF "Tzrifin" Base. Nine IDF soldiers killed, ten injured.
Aug. 19, 2003 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt blows himself up on the No. 2 bus line in Jerusalem. Twenty-three Israelis killed, one hundred and fifteen wounded.
Aug. 12, 2003 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonates near a bus stop at the entrance to Ariel. Two Israelis killed, two injured.
June 11, 2003 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonates himself on the No. 14 bus line in Jerusalem. Seventeen Israelis killed, one hundred and four injured.
May 19, 2003 - A terrorist on a bicycle blows himself up near a military jeep in Kfar Darom in the Gaza Strip. Three IDF soldiers are wounded.
May 18, 2003 - A suicide bomber with a bag filled with explosives detonates himself near the A-Ram Junction in Jerusalem.
May 18, 2003 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonates himself on a bus at the French Hill Junction in Jerusalem. Seven Israelis killed, 20 wounded.
May 17, 2003 - A suicide bomber dressed as a religious Jew and wearing an explosive belt detonates himself at Hebron's Gross Square. Two Israeli civilians are killed.
April 30, 2003 - A suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt at the entrance to the "Mike's Place" pub on the Tel Aviv boardwalk, while another bomber hurls an explosive device nearby. Three Israeli civilians killed, sixty-two wounded.
April 15, 2003 - A terrorist armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, an explosive belt, and grenades fires and hurls grenades at the Gaza Strip's Karni crossing before he is shot and killed.
March 5, 2003 - A suicide bomber blows himself up on the No. 37 bus line in Haifa. Seventeen Israeli civilians killed, forty-two wounded.
Jan. 17, 2003 - Guided by a suicide bomber, an explosive-laden raft explodes after Israeli Navy ships fire on it near Dugit, in the northern Gaza Strip.
Nov. 21, 2002 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive belt on the No. 20 bus line in Jerusalem. Eleven Israelis killed, fifty wounded.
Oct. 27, 2002 - Despite being shot, a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonates himself at a gas station near the entrance to the city of Ariel. Three Israeli civilians killed, serventeen wounded.
Oct. 11, 2002 - Authorities arrest a suicide bomber at the entrance to a café before he can detonate his explosive belt.
Oct. 10, 2002 - In Ramat Gan, a suicide bomber detonates his explosive belt near a bus stop at the Bar Ilan Bridge. One Israeli civilian killed, twenty wounded.
Sept. 19, 2002 - A suicide bomber detonates a bag laden with explosives on the No. 4 bus line on Allenby Street in Tel Aviv. Six Israelis killed, sixty-six wounded.
Aug. 4, 2002 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body on a bus near Mt. Meron. Nine Israeli civilians killed, forty-eight wounded.
June 18, 2002 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosives-laden bag on a bus on Dov-Yosef Street in Jerusalem. Nineteen Israeli civilians killed, fifty wounded.
May 7, 2002 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt, and carrying an additional device in a bag, detonates at a club in Rishon Letzion. Sixteen Israeli civilians killed, fifty-one wounded.
March 31, 2002 - A suicide bomber detonates himself at the "Matzah" restaurant in Haifa. Fifteen Israeli civilians killed, thirty-one wounded.
March 27, 2002 - A suicide bomber wearin an explosive belt blows himself up in Netanya's Park Hotel. Thirty Israeli civilians killed, one hundred forty-four wounded.
March 9, 2002 - In Jerusalem, a suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body at the entrance of the "Moment Café" in Jerusalem. Eleven Israeli civilians are killed, fifty-eight wounded.
March 7, 2002 - A suicide bomber attempts to detonate an explosive device strapped to his back in the "Kafit Café" in Jerusalem. No one is injured.
Feb. 6, 2002 - A suicide bomber boards a bus traveling between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem, attempting to detonate an explosive belt.
Dec. 12, 2001 - Two suicide bombers detonate explosive devices next to Israeli vehicles in the area of Ganei Tal in the Gaza Strip. An additional device detonates near another vehicle. Three Israeli civilians are injured.
Dec. 2, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device on a bus near Yad L'banim in Haifa. Fifteen civilians are killed, thirty-five wounded.
Dec. 1, 2001 - Two suicide bombers detonate explosive devices on Ben Yehudah Street in Jerusalem. A car bomb nearby explodes immediately afterward. Eleven civilians are killed, and a hundred and seventy are wounded.
Nov. 26, 2001 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonates himself at the Erez checkpoint in the Gaza Strip. Two policemen wounded.
Nov. 8, 2001 - On his way into Israel, a suicide bomber detonates himself in the Bakah Al Sharkiah area when authorities try to arrest him. Two IDF soldiers are wounded.
Sept. 9, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body at the Nahariya train station. Two soldiers and an Israeli civilian killed; forty-six wounded.
Sept. 4, 2001 - In Jerusalem, a suicide bomber detonates explosives strapped to his body on Nevi'im Street in Jerusalem. Thirteen Israeli civilians are wounded.
Aug. 9, 2001 - A suicide bomber blows himself up at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem. Fifteen Israelis killed, one hundred and ten wounded.
Aug. 8, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates a car bomb next to the Bekaot checkpoint in the West Bank. One IDF soldier wounded.
July 9, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates a car bomb near an IDF vehicle in the Gush Katif area of the Gaza Strip, wounding an IDF soldier.
June 22, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates a car bomb near IDF forces in Alei Sinai in the Gaza Strip. Two IDF soldiers killed, one wounded.
June 1, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates himself at the entrance to Tel Aviv's "Dolphinarium" club. Twenty-two Israeli civilians killed, eighty-three wounded.
May 29, 2001 - Two terrorists approach an IDF position at the Tofah Junction in the Gaza Strip. One detonates an explosive device strapped to his body; the other lobs grenades and begins shooting. Two IDF soldiers are wounded.
May 25, 2001 - In the Gaza strip, a suicide bomber detonates a container filled with explosives and three gas balloons at the Netzarim Junction in the Gaza Strip.
May 18, 2003 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body at the entrance to a Netanya mall in Netanya. Five Israeli civilians killed, eighty-six wounded.
April 29, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates a car bomb near a bus filled with children at Dir Sharif Junction.
April 22, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates himself near a bus stop in Kfar Saba. One Israeli killed, forty-five wounded.
March 28, 2001 - A suicide bomber blows himself up near a gas station at the Neveh Yamin/Kfar Saba Junction. Two Israeli civilians killed, four wounded.
March 27, 2001 - In Jerusalem, a suicide bomber detonates a bomb strapped to his body near an Israeli bus. Twenty-one Israeli civilians are wounded.
March 4, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive-filled case on Netanya's main street. Three Israelis killed, fifty-three wounded.
March 1, 2001 - A suicide bomber blows himself up while in a taxi cab near the Me Ami Junction. One Israeli civilian killed, ten wounded.
Jan. 1, 2003 - A car bomb exploded in Netanya, wounding thirty-five Israeli civilians.
Dec. 22, 2000 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonates himself at the entrance to a restaurant in the Jordan Valley, injuring three IDF soldiers.
Dec. 15, 2000 - A suicide bomber attempts to detonate an explosive belt near Israeli security forces close to the Erez crossing, also attempting to stab Israeli security personnel.
Nov. 6, 2000 - A booby-trapped raft explodes near an to an Israeli Navy "Dabur" in Rafah, near the Israel-Egypt border; Hamas publicly claims responsibility.
That's who they are. This is who they are:
[Israel Will Cease To Exist (Image from Hyscience via MIM.org)]And now they are in charge of Palestine.
Our government has said today, "I don't see how you can be a partner in peace when you advocate the destruction of a country on your platform...We will watch very carefully about the formation of the government, but I will continue to remind people about what I just said: If your platform is the destruction of Israel, that means you're not interested in peace."
Our President said, post 9/11, that "The United States makes no distinction between those who commit acts of terror and those who support and harbor them, because they're equally as guilty of murder."
Well, what the heck do you do with those who vote the terrorists into office?
For my two cents, I say we refrain from recognizing their government. No aid. No discussion. And we watch...very closely.
I for one will sleep less comfortably...the world just became a little more dangerous.
Labels: Hamas, My Two Cents, opinion, terrorism
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