The United States announced today that it has halted all humanitarian aid from flowing into the Gaza Strip, insisting the halt was the fault of the Hamas government’s “meddling” in the ability of private groups to provide aid to civilians.
The US move comes in response to an effort by the Hamas regime to audit the NGOs to reveal the sources of their funding. The USAID organization was providing aid to Gaza primarily through funding NGOs and was keen to keep which organizations a secret.
Complicating the matter is that under US law any group with direct contact with a State Department listed terrorist group is itself a terrorist group, so all NGOs which submit to their government’s demand for an audit would become terrorist groups and no longer eligible for aid anyhow.
Hamas defended the move, saying it has the legal right to investigate the finances of organizations operating within the Gaza Strip. They also insisted that the US should not be surprised that their aid operations would be subject to the laws of the territory they operate in, even if they refuse to recognize the government of that territory.
Jason Ditz,
I don't suppose that in the name of consistency and equal treatment you will start referring to the Israeli government as the "Zionist regime", will you?
Seriously, what makes Hamas any different than the successive Israeli government coalitions of the last 15 years, for example?
They have both been elected, democratically.
They are both guided by an ideology.
They are both abusive of civil and human rights. (Heck, in this regard, Hamas look like saints compared to Israel)
So, what's the deal? Sure, you want to be a conformist within the so-called "liberal/progressive" movement. Fine. You don't want to rock the boat, I understand that.
But at the very least apply your characterizations equally across the board, don't pick and choose based on your subjective fears of what you view as alien or threatening.
Seldom does the average American pause to think about the empirical evidence available. Instead, the vast majority apply labels based on their own prejudices, fears, and sense of Otherness. So, Hamas is not white enough? Do the long beards scare you? Are you under the impression that the average westerner risks getting gunned down by that very government, despite evidence to the contrary? Is it the religion, one that seems menacing and scary, whereas Judaism is familiar to you? What's the hang up? I would really like to know.
I could care less about Hamas, but I'm really curious about how an otherwise objective person who strives to present a view that is as close to reality as possible, can slap on derogatory labels as though they were on clearance.
Incidentally, do you consider the Palestinian Authority under Abbas to be a "regime"? If so, why? Abbas's Fatah has tortured far less men and women than Israel has. So, where does the PA rank in your view? And if you don't consider Abbas' party to be a "regime", then what are the criteria that you used?
How to win friends and influence people? Washington really is clueless.
The US government has become a covert Zionist operation.
What- or who- is the US hiding? If the aid materials are truly 'humanitarian' in nature and given in good faith, there should be no issue with an audit. If the donors wish to remain anonymous, fine, that's between them and Hamas. A ruling party or organization has a right to know who's operating in its territory.