The Scrutinator

From the Chicago Tribune's Op-Ed "Meanwhile, back in Gaza ...":

The strangling international freeze on aid to the Hamas-led government in the Palestinian territories is holding, and that means even deeper misery for ordinary residents of Gaza and the West Bank. ...

A year after Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, life there has only grown worse. After so much optimism, wrote Ghazi Hamad, a spokesman for the Hamas government, "life became a nightmare and an intolerable burden."

Who to blame for all this? Hamad, a former Hamas newspaper editor, surprisingly pointed the finger--at least partly--at the Palestinians themselves. "Gaza is suffering under the yoke of anarchy and the swords of thugs," he wrote in a Palestinian newspaper. He said various armed groups in the Gaza Strip--most affiliated with Fatah, Hamas' rival--were responsible for the chaos. "We've all been attacked by the bacteria of stupidity," Hamad wrote. "We have lost our sense of direction."

The bacteria of stupidity. Well, that's a bit of refreshing candor. He could have helped his cause by admitting that not just Fatah, but Hamas, is spreading that contagion.

"The yoke of anarchy and the swords of thugs." Well put.

As bad as their previous government was, choosing more-radical Hamas only made things worse. That's not rocket science. What would cause them to make such a choice?

I believe the endless flow of propaganda fuels the epidemic he describes. Peruse MEMRI-TV and see for yourself.

By The Scrutinator @ 5:32 PM