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Injured Palestinians Increasingly Voice Support for Hamas

by Amy Judd | January 13, 2009 at 07:04 pm

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An interesting story from the Washington Post about Palestinians being treated in Cairo.

At Nasser hospital here in the Egyptian capital, the sound of Palestinian Arabic spills out from rooms and floats through the corridors of the fourth floor. "God is great, God is great," Ahmed Hussein, 25, said to a weeping Egyptian woman, one of a stream of visitors coming to pay their respects to those injured by Israeli airstrikes.

"May God make you be victorious," she said. "I cannot stand what is happening to your people."

Neither, apparently, can Hussein, a Palestinian policeman whose right arm was broken when Israeli missiles hit his police academy Dec. 27. Hussein voted for Hamas in the last election but said he never joined their militia. That's about to change.

"I want to go back and fight with Hamas," he said.

What do you think? Do you think this was bound to happen or is this a new turn of events?

The wounded are among 260 Palestinians, including women and children, who are being treated in Egyptian hospitals. Many expressed guilt for receiving treatment and being safe while their families are trapped in the conflict's epicenter.

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Heritage

at 19:52 on January 13th, 2009

It's a natural reaction. After the 2006 assault on Lebanon Hizbolla emerged stronger and more popular than ever before. The same will happen in Gaza. The current massacre has created resistance in every household in Gaza. In the 2006 elections, that Hamas won, they received about 42% of the popular vote and a majority of parliamentary seats. If an election was held today it would be a landslide victory to Hamas.

Jimmy Carter labelled the actions, to deny Hamas power won in an election deemed free and fair, as criminal.

Far from encouraging Hamas's move into parliamentary politics, Carter said the US and Israel, with European Union acquiescence, has sought to subvert the outcome by shunning Hamas and helping Abbas to keep the reins of political and military power.

"That action was criminal," he said in a news conference after his speech.

Amy Judd

at 22:06 on January 13th, 2009

Thank you for your informed and interesting comment.

tallison

at 22:21 on January 13th, 2009

They have monsterised Hamas.

Karen Hatter

at 22:27 on January 13th, 2009

Despite Hamas, Hezbollah and others being labelled terrorists, decades of inaction by the United States and its unqualified support of Israel, as it occupies Palestine, Israel's refusal to intervene to halt the building of so called settlements on Palestinian territories, Israel's refusal to heed U.N. directives, those in the region who live where these lopsided 'wars' are being waged come to believe that, when death tolls and injuries are 100 for everyone else to every 1 Israeli, as now, when civilians are punished along side the alleged intended terrorist targets, Hezbollah and Hamas are heroes, as the only ones fighting for those continually displaced and slaughtered.

Uwe Paschen

at 23:44 on January 13th, 2009

This was to be expected. Why Israel will lose this war in the long run.

matte

at 23:55 on January 13th, 2009

Yes , this conflict is settling/reinforcing hatred of Israel in every Palestinian - and will remain for decades to come. It is clearly a case of one step forward, three steps back.

Maybe after January 20 we will see some smart actions out of the US Administration

kingpaddy

at 23:58 on January 13th, 2009

This is not a question that can be easily answered. Traumatized people, people who are suffering from shock, and post traumatic stress, cannot and should not be making life changing statements for a brief period. I would say that nearly all parties have had serious injuries and deaths linked directly to them by family or clan affiliation.

For Hamas, they have attacked Fatah and executed many family members. There is no longer representive government. Will citizens agree with tactics used by either party. I know many Israelis are upset at the actions. There are the cultural clashes between Israeli youth and old line politics. There are mothes and fathers who will question the use of their families as the price of a Hamas victory. I have studied people a long time and it always suprises me that left alone most of the people on earth are good and can make good decisions. Removing the POLITICS and seeing what is left.... that will answer this question.