HAMAS AND MENACHEM BEGIN

The Rev. Dana Prom Smith, S.T.D., Ph.D. (1/29/06)

President Bush was caught with his pants down by Hamas’ election victory in Palestine. The whole intelligence apparatus of the CIA, NSA, Defense Department, State Department, etc. didn’t expect it. They failed just as they failed anticipating Katrina which came with a five-day storm warning.

Not only did an inept Bush Administration drop the intelligence ball, its reaction to Hamas’ victory was also the same old bluster, making Bush look like a paper tiger. No one seems to have learned the Vietnam lesson that bluster doesn’t work.

The Arabs and the Muslims don’t like us. Hamas’ victory may be due to the governing Fatah party’s corruption, but the underlying theme is their rage against the United States and the West.

Many have forgotten that Israel was established partly due to the terrorist organization, Irgun. Irgun killed hundreds of British soldiers who were in Israel to keep the peace. Indeed, Irgun blew up the King David Hotel, killing 91 people, claiming the British were pro-Arab.

Menachem Begin, the great Israeli Prime Minister, was a first an Irgun leader involved in the King David bombing. Later, along with Anwar Sadat of Egypt he was awarded the Noble Peace Prize for the peace treaty he negotiated with Sadat. As the hymn reads, "New occasions teach new duties\Time makes ancient good uncouth." History is ironic. Does such greatness lie within Hamas? Not much in the current Islamic behavior, responding to Danish political cartoons, indicates any latent greatness in Hamas. Buy Danish.

Copyright (c) Dana Prom Smith 2006