I find the structure of this article interesting. We are told about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank in great detail, and only in passing do we find out about the context. Par for the course.

First, can we ditch the crap about never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity? If the opportunity the writer is speaking of is to enjoy living in the largest prison on Earth now that the guards have been moved outside the walls, I'm having trouble seeing the loss. Gaza is the most densely populated place on earth, and there is obviously something cynical about deploying troops out of one area, while leaving the area seperated from its political center. Likewise, I don't know of any other people who would be categorized as ingrates for not getting excited about giving half their land to a fraction of the population that arrived two decades earlier, as the UN partition plan did. Thirdly, getting a state without forgein policy or economic independence on 97% of that half 50 years later is no great shakes.

I also find the fact that Israel controls Palestine's revenue streams slightly more than ancilliary. I would love to see an article that focuses on this first, before it gets around to how dumb Palestinians are. If Palestine is an autonomous, then how did Israel get control of their customs duties? Why did Israel have any say about whether Hamas ran for legislature? Answering these questions would put the violence in the Gaza in a different light, and would seem, instead to be the logical outcome for a prison cell that has been given democracy but no food.

Lastly, the Hamas victory may have surprised people who read Der Spiegel and Newsweek, it did not surprise Palestinians. Fatah was inserted into the Palestinian territories to rule the people at the behest of Israel and the US; corrupt, inept and frankly offensive in their disregard for the inhabitants, people would have voted for La Pen instead if it had a Palestinian chapter. Hamas has its problems, but its reps are at least honest.

I'm frankly disappointed in Salon, which can afford all the incisisive commentary in the world for Iraq, but has to go to a dishonest piece from a German paper for news about Palestine. You're not fooling anyone.

I hope we're both smart enough to see past the rhetoric, and knowledgeable enough to know what we're talking about when we try to influence other people's opinions.

There are elements in Hamas that claim they want to push Israel into the sea, of course. We both know that they might as well be advocating pushing them to the moon. They are hardly a threat to the existance of Israel. Israel, however, is a threat to Palestine and has been for some time, and the Israeli mainstream makes no bones about dividing Palestine into cantons, of limiting their ability to govern themselves, of limiting their rights.

Hamas has never pushed Israel into the sea, Israel however has been screwing over Palestinians for over 5 decades. You need only look at the death toll here--Israel with three times the population, has 1/2 or even a 1/3 the death toll of Palestinians. Who's pushing who?

But it should also be noted, that there are moderate Hamas politicians who sought reproachement with Israel. Look it up and you'll find it. Unless you're only goal is as an Israeli cheerleader.

You do know that for 3 decades Israel didn't let Palestinians leave Gaza, even to go to the West Bank. Or do you just like to insult people?

Doesn't seem like you care too much about anyone. Otherwise you'd bother to get informed. Israelis kill Palestinians everyday--kids going to school, mothers and children-I've seen it happen, I lived there. And of course 1,000 Lebanese last year--a number far greater than the sum total of all Israelis killed in all the acts of terrorism since 1948. Except they call it collateral damage. Have you ever wondered if the collateral damage was the point of the operations to begin with? And that somehow that isn't terrorism.

You don't need to believe me. Look it up if you really want to know. My guess is you don't care either way. My guess is that most people who support Israel do it in this lazy, evil way--basically could give two s****. They don't have to live with the results of what they advocate. Anyone with access to the internet can find out the truth in about half hour. I doubt you'll do that however.