Going through the motions

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jason_mccue/2007/01/hamas_stepping_stones_to_peace_1.html

'Democracy's leap of faith has reaped a grand reward for Hamas as it did for their Irish brothers. But with electoral success comes the burden of responsibility. Part of that responsibility is to foster peace, which inevitably means respecting its neighbours, adhering to the law and righting wrongs.'

In acting, they call it 'phoning it in'. I'm not sure what they call it in journalism- 'typing the first crap you think of'?

Comparing Hamas with the IRA is just brain-poppingly stupid. The IRA's single goal is the reuniting of the Ulster counties with the rest of Ireland; Hamas's goal is the destruction of the State of Israel, and the death of all its Jews. The IRA are both logical and open to reasoned argument- when the bombing of pubs in England alienated Irish people in England, the IRA stopped doing it. When killing bandsmen and ceremonial soldiers lost the IRA even more support, they switched to economic targets like the Natwest tower. This latter strategy worked- and the British government established a dialogue with the IRA that resulted in a reasonable facsimile of peace in Northern Ireland. Implacable the IRA may be: but never satanically evil. It was assumed by all parties that should the north become part of the Irish republic, all hostilities would cease. At no point do I recall the IRA vowing to kill all Unionists and throw their bodies in the sea. What was at issue was an international border.

Hamas have one organisational goal: the destruction of the state of Israel and its people. Logic and reasoning have no impact on their visceral and crazed attachment to that goal. Only a lack of means holds them back. Since 1947, it has been the single political goal of the Arabs. McCue writes "Hamas must begin to play the Irish model of ballot box and Armalite politics until it reaches a position where - down the line - its grassroots militants are happy to disarm and stand down. Eh? 'Play the Irish model'? Hamas are so not interested in playing some political parlour game, or some international diplomatic shell game. They want Israel destroyed. And thats it. When are idiots like McCue going to accept the plain, unvarnished truth?

I am currently reading Robert Spencers 'Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam', and although he never will, McCue should too. Islam is not that complicated. Its core ideology and practise has not changed much in 1300 years. Kill infidels until they convert to Islam. Jews and Christians are inferior; everybody else is even more inferior. Nobody gets to leave Islam, and any land that is ever part of the Ummah will always be part of the Ummah. Israel is 'Muslim lands'. That simple fact precludes any Arab Muslim from ever accepting the existence of Israel. Forget pathetic lamo attempts at historical parallels. It is the SPECIFICS of history that are important.

Hamas, if it exists in one hundred years, will still be gunning for the erasure of Israel and all Israelis- count on it. Then again, if Mr Ahmedinajad succeeds, they won't have to lift a finger.