Ergane in Retrograde

Hamas against the World: a reaction

Why oh WHY are people shocked that Hamas won? It can't possibly be that everyone is so incredibly stupid and I am the only sane one on the planet, can it?

See, THIS is why contrastive rhetoric is SO important. Sure, you can call me a cultural relevatist (1 2), but um, there's a REASON why that kind of thinking exists. I am certain, from the view of Palestinian people, Hamas looks like the best thing. Sure, they are known to the world as "terrorist" (a term that should seriously be unpacked), but I have always wondered if they would be better thought of as freedom fighters. (Oh yes, there I go with the unpopular opinions!) To Palestinian people, I wouldn't be shocked if they saw them as a group that gets things done ("by any means necessary" to quote Malcolm X). They have schools and they run shelters and stuff... why is it so foriegn for people to understand that which looks like a "monster" in these contexts can look like "savior" in those?

Gah... people make me SO SICK sometimes! WHY IS THE WORLD COMMUNITY SHOCKED? I find it funny that BUSH would say that Hamas 'must" speak peace when America and most everyone else are the ones 1) Not speaking peace themselves and 2) not listening.

"The state of Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian administration if even part of it is an armed terrorist organisation calling for the destruction of the state of Israel."

"What Hamas was achieving in the past in terms of neighborhood improvements was small-scale," said Duzdar, the political analyst. "Now, in the government, they need to think bigger."

(Also, why is it that people always talk about the number of Israelis killed, but gloss over the number of Palestinians killed by Sharon's terrorist raids a la Bush? I notice the same thing when people talk about Iraq -- they tell how many American soldiers die, but somehow, always, fail to mention the many, many Iraqi deaths... See, how can anyone trust the media that only tells the news of the victor? How can anyone trust media which seems to give information with automatic bias?)

"Speaking at a news conference, Bush did not directly answer a question about the fate of U.S. aid to the Palestinians, though he suggested Hamas' victory could have an impact. "I made it very clear that the United States does not support political parties that want to destroy our ally Israel, and that people must renounce that part of their platform," he said.(*here*)

And here is one of the things that pisses me off, too, and seems horribly and terribly high schoolish... "our ally Irael"... How can anyone expect anything balanced or just coming from that attitude of pre-judgement? I mean, I am so annoyed more people didn't get to see some of the early UN footage where they would have seen Iraeli soldiers beating anyone with brown skin -- for example. I hate this idea everyone has that Palestine does not have legitimate beef. I mean, sure, Israel is a nation; it exists. But why is that Americans, especially, still act as if Israel's hands and arms and legs and faces aren't covered in blood? And, not to seem petty, how long until someone starts to realize the importance of the Jewish holocaust in forming the rhetoric of "our ally Israel"? Africans had a holocaust, too, one that is STILL happening in many ways, and... I'm sure you can put it together. Point of fact: Palestinians did NOT commit those crimes (of the holocaust) against the Jewish people. Why must they pay with the lost of their country and their land? Why should Hamas "recognize" Israel? I mean, how stupid. Of course they "recognize" Israel... as the people holding them hostage in their own land which they have also occupied.

In ranty conclusion, I am really tired of people saying that if you are not pro-Israel you are anti-Semetic. Grow up.

posted by Ergane @ 12:31 AM