The Government of National Unity
What an exemplary title; 'the government of national unity'. Confidence building, no less. Trust-making in the extreme. Trust us, we have your best interests at heart, and have every intention of making your lives far better than they have been, and for that purpose we dedicate ourselves to your well being, oh people of Palestinian origin. It is our intention to unite ourselves, Hamas, with our brothers in the Palestinian Authority, Fatah.Gazan Palestinians could be forgiven for viewing these sentiments with a certain amount of skepticism, given what has occurred when Hamas decided to wrest control of Gaza from Fatah in a violent upheaval resulting in some rather spectacular instances of brotherly combat. The Hamas victory then, over Fatah, was fairly conclusive, and Hamas has never looked back, as regards their control of Gaza. And their control is replete with fundamentalist clap-trap, along with another dedication.
That being the annihilation of the State of Israel. The Hamas leadership did claim, after all, that they had the best interests of the Palestinians at heart, did they not? And as they deem it, it would be best for all concerned were they to nudge Israel off the map of the Middle East - to match, actually, the maps currently used for education purposes by both Fatah and Hamas - to enable Palestinian Arabs to move back in to what they claim as theirs by divine right.
Despite the United Nations, the European Union, Canada and the United States considering Hamas to be a terrorist group, they've been handled with something akin to kid gloves by the United Nations which still considers them to be the legally entitled governors of the Palestinian Territories. The UN presence there, through its hundreds of schools, medical facilities and other humanitarian installations in fact, hire residents as their employees, inclusive of Hamas.
How dreadfully disappointing it has been to them to be threatened by armed Hamas fighters insisting that humanitarian supplies be emptied from the UN warehouses meant for distribution among the entire Gaza population, and hived over conveniently into Hamas warehouses, to be discreetly distributed among their supporters. A mere misunderstanding, claims Hamas, and the goods will be returned. The UN Relief and Works Agency is still waiting.
Amnesty International now is accusing Hamas fighters of killing, torturing and abducting Palestinians of a Fatah affiliation, claiming they spy for Israel. Eyewitness accounts of brutal abuse and killings have been validated by an Amnesty International enquiry, and released in an international report, citing killings, knee-capping, legs shot, or other injuries meant to cause permanent disability.
Most of those men who were murdered were abducted from their homes then dumped in isolated areas. Some were injured, left for dead, then taken to hospital where they were later shot dead while receiving treatment for their injuries. "The perpetrators of these attacks did not conceal their weapons or keep a low profile, but, on the contrary, behaved in a carefree and confident - almost ostentatious - manner" claimed the report.
A Hamas spokesman commenting on the report as good as said "that's life". These were Israeli informants: "There were also family feuds and people settling scores. Therefore, it is unjust to hold Hamas accountable. The government of national unity had the duty to implement the law and the resistance factions had the right to protect themselves."
They represented, after all, former members of the PA's security forces and activists adhering to President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party. Medical sources, eyewitnesses and victim testimonies fleshed out the carnage Hamas vented on their Fatah rivals before, during and after the Israeli military offensive against Hamas rocket attacks into Israel.
"There is incontrovertible evidence that Hamas security forces and armed militias have been responsible for grave human rights abuses and that the victims of such abuses and many others are being intimidated and discouraged from testifying about their ordeal. The Hamas de-facto administration has displayed a flagrant disregard for the most fundamental human rights norms, not only allowing such abuses to be perpetrated, but actually facilitating and encouraging the abuses by justifying them and by granting absolute impunity to the perpetrators", claimed the Amnesty report.
Just like them, isn't it, to denounce the needful activities of a lawful government in its efforts to restrain attacks against itself. What can you expect, after all, from a human rights organization?
Labels: Middle East, That's Life, Traditions, Troublespots
posted by Pieface @ Thursday, February 12, 2009
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