Oh My, Palestinians Are Angry!

I loved the BBC reporter's pressing questions of the Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson yesterday: "Weren't you concerned about the Palestinian reaction to the prison raid?" he asked again and again.

The spokesman was kind, which is his job. I would have said sarcastically, "Oh, horrors! Another day of unrest in Gaza and the West Bank! What were we thinking?"

Or, more Machiavellian, "Yup, we thought about it, and we liked it. Every day the Palestinians look violent and unled is a good day for Israel."

It was a wonderfully Machiavellian action. A tough murderer is about to take over as leader of the PA while Israel is burdened with an upcoming election without Sharon. The raid put a quick end to any thoughts that Palestine was going to get anywhere through Hamas strategies -- including PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' confirmation of Hamas' intention to release the prisoners.

"Oh, yeah?" Israel said back.

There's a great editorial in the Jerusalem Post today, chock full of background info and clear analysis. It ends with:

So we return to the new Islamist formula: If you protest, ridicule or fight back against our violence, we will become more violent and accuse you of aggression. Not only does the cult of suicide bombings continue, but added to it is the use of rampant violence to intimidate the West.

The formula is less than ineffective; it is negative, casting Islamist as a crowd of fools.

Related Tags: Israel, Hamas, Prison raid, Palestine