THE PALESTINIANS HAVE THEMSELVES TO BLAME

Palestinian Suffering - Tulin Daloglu
Israel is undeniably a democracy with a vibrant economy and contemporary society. The Hamas government, however, was elected democratically but is no friend of democracy. As Bassem Eid, founder and director of the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group, delicately described the unbearable living conditions on the Palestinian side, he said, "It's not because of occupation but because of Arab culture....They could have, at least, built the infrastructure of Gaza." Eid believes Palestinians failed to negotiate with Israelis on any subject.

Hamas' charter quotes a forged hadith (a traditional account of things said or done by Prophet Muhammad), saying that "there will come a time when the stone will call to a Muslim there is a Jew behind me" - widely interpreted as sanctioning violence against Jews. The Arab-Muslim world believes that the U.S. and Israel are losing in the Middle East and that the balance of power in the region will change in time. (Washington Times)