Under capitalism, man oppresses man. Under communism, it’s the other way around.
I was reminded of this witticism (which is only half-true) when I saw this Washington Post story on the desperate desire of Hamas for foreign aid from the quartet of the US, the EU, the UN and Russia:
The Palestinian prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, warned Monday on the
eve of a key international donors meeting that the Palestinian
Authority, cut off from most foreign aid since his Hamas movement took
office five weeks ago, could founder unless new money arrives."If
the siege continues, the whole authority will be facing collapse,"
Haniyeh said in an interview in his office here. "And if there is a
collapse, there will be chaos in the region."
Some threat, huh?
In case you don’t know much about Hamas, the Post lets us know:
Hamas, known formally as the Islamic Resistance Movement, advocates the
creation of a Palestinian state across territory that includes Israel.
Isn’t that nicely worded? What’s the big deal about giving them the money they’re expecting? But the story continues:
As a condition for aid, the quartet has demanded that Hamas recognize
Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence and honor previous
agreements with the Jewish state. Haniyeh, 43, said his government
would not meet those demands.
What’s left to say? The Post story finds something:
The aid cutoffs appear to be increasing anti-U.S. sentiment here.
"The problem is the West, not us," said Mustafa Hasoona, 33, a
pharmacist. "If they don’t respect democracy, they shouldn’t call for
it," he said, noting that Hamas rose to power in elections long
advocated by the United States.He flipped through a tattered
notebook on his counter, its pages filled with names of customers and
the sums they owe him. Many of them are taking half-doses of
medications, he said, and mothers are diluting iron supplements for
infants to make them last longer."We are with this government we elected," Hasoona said. "I voted for it."
