A look at Gaza
An interesting look at the conditions in Gaza from Ghazi Hamad.
Steven Erlanger writes in the
San Jose Mercury News:
Blame placed upon Gaza
Official offers rare self-criticism
In an unusual instance of self-criticism, a well-known Hamas official has deplored the collapse of Gazan life into chaos and has said that much of the blame belongs to Palestinians themselves.
"Gaza is suffering under the yoke of anarchy and the swords of thugs," wrote Ghazi Hamad, a former Hamas newspaper editor and the spokesman for the current Hamas government, in an article published Sunday in Al-Ayyam, the Palestinian newspaper.
After so much optimism when Israelis pulled out of Gaza a year ago, he wrote, "life became a nightmare and an intolerable burden."
He urged Palestinians to look to themselves, not to Israel, for the causes. But he appeared to be placing the blame elsewhere than on Hamas or the Palestinian Authority prime minister, Ismail Haniya of Hamas. He said various armed groups in the Gaza Strip -- most affiliated with Fatah, Hamas' rival -- were responsible for the chaos.
"We've all been attacked by the bacteria of stupidity," Hamad wrote. "We have lost our sense of direction." He addressed the armed groups: "Please have mercy on Gaza. Have mercy on us from your demagogy, chaos, guns, thugs, infighting. Let Gaza breathe a bit. Let it live."
Brave words!
Posted by DaveH at August 29, 2006 10:50 AM