The Noise From Afar

Back when I opened the House of Boogie for public consumption, my goals were clear: put forth a smattering of everything that floats between my ears in a semi-cognizant, relatively intelligent manner and be frank with myself as well as with whoever happened upon this space.

I've tried achieving that goal with as much exactitude as possible, and since a lot of what occupies my mind and my time is my other half, I try to honestly -- yet carefully -- expound on where my head and my heart are at with regard to her and I and the two of us.

However, for better or worse, a lot of what occupies the spaces not filled in with thoughts of our eventual cohabitation and beyond, is, for the most part, what's happening in the world, whether it's violence breaking out in nocturnal suburban France, anti-American demonstrations in Demascus, a roadside bomb injuring ABC journalists, or the eventual proliferation of portable nuclear arms.

So my silence to this point on the Palestinian elections -- the so-called "Hamas"-led revolution -- is a bit disingenuous on my part. It's been on my mind -- no, it's occupied a significant spot therein -- and while not addressing it has been in some way a lot easier than hitting it head on, I think it's somewhat necessary to address it herein now that it's "fresh." Part of what led me to this conclusion is a moral responsibility to myself to chronicle what's happening between my ears, true; but a large part of it is also a result of reading a friend's take on the situation. That friend, Trouble, contributed a very considered take on the situation (she's linked to the left at the World of Trouble) and I didn't feel right letting this historic, perhaps catastrophic change in my world pass without taking a gander and a swing.

This space, and its readers, would probably not take well to a brief history of the Middle East and its many complicated tenets of war, peace and tension, so suffice to say that the "Palestinians" are a group of devout Muslims who have dedicated themselves to rallying against what they claim is Israel's illegal occupation of Muslim holy land. The "plight" of these people is not as sad and unfortunate as is reported by most media outlets; if it were, their fellow Muslims would surely have absorbed them as a people long ago. Their existence as a people without a nation whose land was unfairly taken from them, incidentally, is what I refer to as complete bullshit. Neither here nor there, however: the bottom line is that they, essentially, believe Israel should not exist and in its stead should exist a Palestinian state.

This past weekend, the Palestinian people voted, largely, to expel the majority (three quarters) of the existing government -- led by the "Fatah" party -- and replace same with members of Hamas, which, depending on your world view, is an organization whose main goal is to eradicate Israel and its non-Muslim citizenry. This, of course, could be challenged by anyone who hasn't bothered to read the Hamas charter, which calls for the destruction of the state of Israel. So, noting that Iran's leader recently called for Israel's destruction, it seems that the pendulum has swung, yet again, to the mid-east governments to target Israel. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

It seems to me, with the election of Hamas, that there are two possible responses: either the Palestinian people were simply fed up and frustrated with the corruption and cronyism of the previously empowered Fatah party, or they were supporting the radical, violent call to arms presented by Hamas. The media, for the most part, has suggested the former is the case; I disagree. I think most Muslims, force-fed anti-Israel rhetoric from birth to grave, are happier knowing their government is actively committed to destroying the supposed occupier of their land and their birth-right. How else could there be legions of suicide bombers without this type of ideological egregiousness? The simple fact is that most Palestinians would rather be led by people pointing the finger at Israel for their squalid, simple lives than a government run by people who seemingly are negotiating with their forsworn enemies, for people that they've been told drink Arab blood, eat Arab babies and kill Muslims for pure glee.

The US, along with the EU and Russia, have indicated they will halt Palestinian aid until Hamas renounces violence and acknowledges the state of Israel. It's the right move, even if the outcome might be Iran and Syria contributing monies to the Palestinian government. It always struck me as hypocritical for the US and other Western nations to give monies to a government which, clearly, turned a blind eye to suicide bombers and attacks on civilians. So for Hamas to renounce violence and acknowledge Israel -- even if they were to do so, which I doubt -- would be more futile, empty lip service. Luckily, Hamas is comprised of people who are so fervent and so foolish, they would never willingly do either. So the lines are and continue to be drawn. There's more conflict on the horizon, and more blood will likely be shed.

At least the masks are off and we know who's on which side.

It doesn't relieve the tension or minimize the casualties; it does, however, give clearer perspective to what is happening and who is responsible. There may never be peace in our time on Israeli soil, but -- in a bizarre twist of events -- we can accept that there will be a state of Israel so long as there exists fervent, radical zealots who would rather die than accept Israel's right to exist, side by side, in the modern world. As we will soon see, the Hamas-led government will return its people to living as they did 3,000 years ago. A lack of sophistication, for sure, but more importantly, a lack of willingness to compromise and to move forward instead of remaining backward.