Jonathan Edelstein (link fixed);
[A]nyone who was expecting a firm signal as to Hamas’ diplomatic policy is likely to be disappointed. On the one hand, several hard-liners hold prominent places in the lineup. Mahmoud Zahhar, one of Hamas’ co-founders and the head of the organization in Gaza, will be foreign minister, while Said Siyyam, a former field commander in the Gaza military wing and part of the current unofficial triumvirate, will hold the interior portfolio and have responsibility for the security forces. At the same time, both the prime minister himself is a relative moderate. So is Deputy Prime Minister Nasir Shaer, the dean of Islamic studies at an-Najah University, who is expected to have day-to-day responsibility for governing the West Bank. And even Siyyam, despite his militant record, is regarded as a pragmatist and has good relations with the Fatah-dominated officer corps.
Speaking of an-Najah, it’s going to be a very important place once the incoming government takes office. At least four of the 24 ministers are drawn from the Najah faculty, giving it more representation than even the Islamic University of Gaza (a key Hamas incubator where Prime Minister Haniyeh once taught). In addition to Shaer, the Najah ministers will be Omar Abdul Razek (Finance), Samir Abu Eisheh (Planning) and Ahmad al-Khalidi (Justice). The last of these, a professor of constitutional law and one of the drafters of the proposed Palestinian constitution, is considered a political independent, and his appointment may be an indication that Hamas intends to keep its hands off the judiciary. Abu Eisheh’s appointment may also be a signal of Hamas’ long-range strategic policy: as a member of the Najah engineering faculty, he has written proposals for linking the Palestinian economy and infrastructure with Jordan and Egypt. In any event, with so many ministers from an-Najah, the university as a whole stands to become an unofficial government think tank and sounding board, so that might be one of the places to look for policy cues.
Lots more there, and be sure to read the comments.
The link doesn’t appear to be working.
whoops! my cut and paste dropped the “l” from .html….
Thanks for the heads up.
Speaking of heads-ups, this just in and not available via the MSM, which prefers to keep its head in the sand even after 9/11:
SPECIFIC TERROR THREATS AGAINST WASHINGTON
http://thecanadiansentinel.blogspot.com/2006/03/new-specific-terror-threats-to.html
Speaking of heads-ups, this just in and not available via the MSM, which prefers to keep its head in the sand even after 9/11:
SPECIFIC TERROR THREATS AGAINST WASHINGTON
http://thecanadiansentinel.blogspot.com/2006/03/new-specific-terror-threats-to.html
Just watching the National and Peter calls Hamas “just another right wing party”. I didn’t know that Hamas stood for free enterprise and capitalism. Is that the real reason they keep blowing themselves up? They want lower taxes.
Just lump Hamas with the rest of the Isamo-Fascists.
Clear thinking Ignatieff may be difficult for *Rigid liberals* to accept, yet correct thinking from Ignatieff may help us all see the need to stem this Fanatic fundamentalist Fascism.
Fascism?.. Yes, fascism. Paul Macrae clarifies this on page A8 of the March 27th Victoria Times Colonist.
If the West had ignored Chamberlain’s procrastinating and Roosevelt had joined with Churchill early on, before Hitler was fully organized, millions of lives may have been saved. The Pearl Harbour disaster would have been avoided too, as all hands would have been geared up and on full alert.
Allowing Nazism to run it’s course resulted in the loss of [55], fifty-five Million lives.!
Afghani-American Tamim Ansary , shortly after 9/11, wrote, *When you think Taliban, think Nazi SS. When you think bin Laden, think HITLER. And, when you think of the people of Afghanistan, think of the Jews in concentration camps.*
This is the way we need to think about fanatic Islamism, including Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Whatever the religious ,trappings extremist Isamism is still a form of Fascism. As Ignatieff notes . *We can fight this Fascism now, or we can fight it later, when it is organized and stronger, but we do have to fight it, just as we had to in 1939. TG [Yes, 55 million lives.]
[Note.. I think the Stealth I.D. stealing Trojan perps are fascist too. Only a few anti-virus firms can detect it, otherwise everyone is exposed without a defense . There are only 5 firms who are ready.] Check :=
http://BendGovernment.blogspot.com
pragmatic? moderate? unilateralism? diplomatic policy? They’re discussing the Hamas terrorist government here. You’ve got to be kidding.
the Hamas people appear to be very rigid in their beliefs. when the Israeli boundary is fixed in the next few years and Hamas needs to govern for their people, and not merely hate Israel, are they up to it? I expect them to turn to the UN and demand “justice” while all they really want is money.