Soccer Dad

Hamas, a kennedy school of government affiliate

Mediacrity takes a well deserved swipe at the NY Times for "Sanitizing Hamas":

While tastefully omitting any mention of suicide bombings, the Times's Greg Myre turned over the podium to a Hamas "spokesman," who ranted that the election "shows that the Palestinians support reform, resistance and loyalty to the blood of the martyrs."

Myre, not to be outdone, said that Hamas had nominated "well-educated candidates with reputations for probity and piety" -- making them seem more like the College of Cardinals than a terror group that slaughters civilians. They're really good eggs: "Hamas runs many educational and charitable organizations financed with money from outside."

Oh, and all that "terrorism" stuff is just... well, it is just a matter of opinion, that's all. Hamas, Myre said, "is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and the European Union." Rest assured that the Times doesn't feel that way in the least.

Unfortunately this kind of reporting (or should I call it PR?) is neither new nor unique to the Times. Last year I noted how the Washington Post portrayed Hamas candidates as policy wonks. More recently, I added my own observations to those of Mediacrity when the Times was lauding Hamas for fixing potholes.

Funny how some things never seem to change.

Unfortunately it's not just in the media. Arutz-7 reports that the State Department's USAID is funding a Hamas run municipality:

The U.S. government's Agency for International Development has given the Hamas-controlled village of Bani Suheila $392,000 for road projects, according to Middle East Newsline. It quoted the mayor of the town, where Hamas won 12 out of 13 seats in recent local elections, as saying he expects more projects for funding.

On the other hand, the House of Representatives passed a resolution by a 397-17 vote on Friday, warning the Palestinian Authority (PA) that it could face a cut in aid if it does not require Hamas and other terrorist organizations to disarm. The resolution urged the PA not to allow a still-armed Hamas terror organization to run in next month's election, saying that Hamas participation could undermine the ability of the United States to provide assistance.

The capacity for so many in so many different fields to whitewash the malignancy of Hamas is truly amazing.

UPDATE: But the EU has a clue? Shocking:

The European Union’s foreign policy chief warned Sunday that the EU could halt tens of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians if the militant Hamas group wins next month’s Palestinian elections and fails to renounce violence.

The threat by Javier Solana reflected growing international concern that Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and remains committed to Israel’s destruction, could win the Jan. 25 parliamentary vote.

No doubt there will be those who will claim that by taking action against a reformist organization such as Hamas will be counterproductive.

Technorati Tags: Israel, Hamas.

Crossposted on Israpundit and Soccer Dad.