Not-Hysterical-at-All Statement of the Day: Hamas = Taliban

In an analysis which would more than hold its own on the talkboards of The Guardian (featured thread: "More evidence that the extracontinental aliens who stole the Palestinians' homeland are not the descendants of the ancient Hebrews"), Martin Peretz, the editor of The New Republic, proves beyond a shred of evidence that "Hamas is a Taliban State":

The fact is that Hamas is a Taliban state, as one Israeli diplomat put it. This is almost an epiphany, a clarifying truth. Hamas operates against its Palestinian enemies like the Taliban does against its Afghani enemies. Imagine a Hamas squad enters a kindergarten in a kibbutz. Neither the Taliban nor Hamas strive for earthly aims. Armed with instruments of death, they each fight for a heavenly design. But on earth. Yes, what a heaven that would be. Death is their own blessed comrade.


Those who find this far too sensible an assessment are advised to read the challenging opinion piece by William Sieghart in The Times of London, "We Must Adjust Our Distorted Image of Hamas":

In the five years that I have been visiting Gaza and the West Bank, I have met hundreds of Hamas politicians and supporters. None of them has professed the goal of Islamising Palestinian society, Taleban-style. Hamas relies on secular voters too much to do that. People still listen to pop music, watch television and women still choose whether to wear the veil or not.

The political leadership of Hamas is probably the most highly qualified in the world. Boasting more than 500 PhDs in its ranks, the majority are middle-class professionals - doctors, dentists, scientists and engineers. Most of its leadership have been educated in our universities and harbour no ideological hatred towards the West.