The Self Inflicted Desperation of Gaza

The Washington Post would like you to be sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza who have been dealing with a closure of its borders by Israel since early July. And the article tries hard to pin the blame for the situation on Israel, not on Hamas and Fatah where it rightfully belongs.

The fact of the matter is that Gaza's plight was due entirely to Hamas terrorists firing a steady stream of rockets into Israel and culminated with Palestinian terrorists invading Israel, killing two Israeli soldiers and taking the third, Gilad Shalit. Following that attack, Israel responded by shutting the borders of Gaza but for humanitarian relief convoys, attacking terrorist weapons caches and going after the terrorist infrastructure.

So, instead of focusing on Israel's plight, which included ongoing rocket and mortar attacks by the Palestinians into Israel from Gaza and the ongoing security concerns that have meant a shuttered border, the Post would like you to consider the plight of Gazan residents. It is the same group of folks who voted Hamas into power, the same Islamic terror group that calls for Israel's annihilation and refused to acknowledge Israel's right to exist.

After Israel completed its unilateral withdrawal from Gaza last September, ending a 38-year presence, Palestinians expected an explosion of commerce and opportunity in this sandy strip, which is about twice the size of Washington with almost three times the population.

But after the election in January of a parliament dominated by Hamas, the radical Islamic movement that refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, international donors led by the United States cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority. Israel stopped transferring the tax revenues it collects for the Palestinians, and the Palestinian Authority's monthly income dropped from $150 million to $20 million or less, according to the United Nations.

Since then, the Gaza Strip's economy has been strangled. The largest employer, the Palestinian Authority, has been unable to pay more than token salaries to its 160,000 employees -- teachers, clerks, health care workers, police officers -- in six months.

Hamas had absolutely no intention of providing for basic services as its goal was solely to destroy Israel at all costs, even using the Palestinians current self-inflicted plight as a means to batter Israel's image around the world. Hamas refused to accept Israel's right to exist, which is a precondition for releasing the aid that has been held up by the Europeans, US, and Israelis. Hamas could have simply paid lip-service to that condition, but its leaders refused to do so because its followers would never accept even that position; that's how dedicated they are to Israel's destruction.

Gaza is caught between anarchy and thuggery. Ed Morrissey notes that this particular Hamas spokesperson is willing to consider the fact that Palestinians are behind the current problems in Gaza, although the spokesperson finds fault with Fatah and Abbas for sitting on the sidelines. That's a rather curious position for Hamas to take, considering that Fatah's support in Gaza is quite low, and Hamas was elected from the area in overwhelming fashion. Hamas garnered that support because it had been providing services, and many of the armed gangs roving the streets are Hamas and Fatah terror factions that haven't gotten paid. So, they're freelancing and causing mayhem in the process. Trying to put an end to that situation means Palestinian terrorists have to disarm their fellow terrorists, which is quite the uncomfortable position for them to be in.

Meanwhile, Michael Totten has a take on the Israeli side of the Gaza border. His photo journalism and writing meets or exceeds that of anything in the WaPo on the subject. He notes that the rockets are continuing to be fired towards Israel, but have slackened off because the media's attention was focused on the North. As the situation in Lebanon calms down, the local Israelis expect Hamas and PIJ to ratchet things up again.