Hamas knows one big thing: "The annihilation of the Jews"

Since winning parliamentary elections in 2006, Hamas has delivered a diet of economic ruin to the Palestinian people. In the run-up to the current fighting, Hamas was roundly warned -- by Israel, by the Egyptians, even by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas -- not to renew its rocket barrages against southern Israel.

But Hamas knows one big thing, which it labels "resistance" or, for Western audiences, "ending the occupation." Just what that means was made clear by Palestinian cleric Muhsen Abu 'Ita in a televised interview. "The annihilation of the Jews here in Palestine," he said, "is one of the most splendid blessings for Palestine."

	Israel's Gaza Defense: The more damage to Hamas, the better the chances for peace	Wall Street Journal	Mon Dec 29	0
	Homeless Shelter Evicted After Prayer Debate	Wall Street Journal	Wed Dec 31	2
	There's No Pain-Free Cure for Recession	Wall Street Journal	Tue Dec 30	1
	Republicans Warn Against Over Spending on Stimulus	Wall Street Journal	Tue Dec 30	2
	The War on Terror Has Not Gone Away	Wall Street Journal	Mon Dec 29	1