The quick but bloody Hamas takeover of Gaza and its aftermath have left Israeli and American diplomatic policy in tatters.  Surprised by the sudden collapse of Abu Mazen’s Fatah, the rush is now on to shore up what little is left of the PA in the West Bank to prevent another Hamas victory.  Money and arms will now flow in rivers to the “moderate” Abu Mazen and the newly whitewashed terrorists of Fatah in the vain hope of turning the tide against the Islamic terrorists of Hamas.


The quick but bloody Hamas takeover of Gaza and its aftermath have left Israeli and American diplomatic policy in tatters.  Surprised by the sudden collapse of Abu Mazen’s Fatah, the rush is now on to shore up what little is left of the PA in the West Bank to prevent another Hamas victory.  Money and arms will now flow in rivers to the “moderate” Abu Mazen and the newly whitewashed terrorists of Fatah in the vain hope of turning the tide against the Islamic terrorists of Hamas. 

Supporting Fatah, particularly with weapons transfers, is simply a bad idea.  Hamas will win regardless of how much support Abu Mazen receives from external sources, and the weapons will ultimately be turned on Israel, either by Hamas terrorists after capturing them, or by Fatah terrorists in their free time from fighting Hamas.

The Hamas victory provides us with a number of important lessons.

First, the Palestinian people want to be ruled by Hamas.  Whether due to Fatah’s corruption or the realization that Islamic extremism is the rising tide in the region, people in Gaza (and the West Bank) voted Hamas into power, with full knowledge of that group’s ideology and agenda in elation to Islamic law, rejection of Israel, and terrorism.  Abu Mazen and Fatah, with American and Israeli support, attempted to limit the effects of the Hamas election victory, but to no avail.  The people wanted Hamas and one cannot play halfway games with democracy.  The firing of Qassam rockets into Sederot as a means to shore up support during the Hamas-Fatah fighting is evidence that, while they are busy killing each other, Palestinians still rally around the cause of attacking Israel.

Next, the world in general, and the Arab world in particular, will continue to blame Israel and its policies for everything that happens in the Middle East.  Hamas terrorists throw Fatah members of the roof of a 15 story building?  If Israel had removed roadblocks in the West Bank, it would not have happened.  Wounded are executed while they lay in hospital beds?  Israeli settlements in the West Bank are the root cause.

Last but not least, the Hamas victory teaches us that we cannot manipulate an internal power struggle by means of support and diplomacy from the outside.  In the case of the Palestinians, such attempts at influencing the outcome may in fact be counterproductive.  Nothing rallies the Palestinians against a group like the accusation that is supported by America and Israel.  So, supporting Fatah with weapons was, in effect, the kiss of death to that organization in Gaza.

Hamastan in Gaza is not a good thing, but it is not a catastrophe, either.  Finally, we are faced with an enemy that is clear and outspoken about its intentions (op-eds in the NY Times notwithstanding [“What Hamas Wants”]) and events in and around Gaza may be legitimately laid at its doorstep, without the caveat that it is a renegade organization separate from the general population.  Every rocket fired out of Gaza is now the responsibility of Hamas, whether fired by its members or those of other organizations.  Hamas wanted exclusive control of Gaza; now it has it and must take full responsibility as well.  If it chooses violence against Israel, either by commission or through non-prevention, it should be prepared to pay a heavy price.

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