Tens of thousands mass in Gaza for Hamas anniversary

[oberliner]

GAZA CITY (AFP) — Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters massed in Gaza City of Sunday to mark the 21st anniversary of the creation of the Islamist movement which violently seized control of the Gaza Strip last year.

Busloads of demonstrators flooded into the city from across the densely populated territory, waving the green flags of the Islamic Resistance Movement.

"Hamas has gone from stonethrowing to guns and rockets, from a support base of a few thousand people to a backing of millions in Arab countries and around the world," one of the movement's top officials in Gaza, Mahmud Zahar, boasted on the Hamas website.

"It has succeeded in striking at Israel's national security."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gTwq-h7N9IyjPp_leccawUiLb03Q

[shira]

1. revealing quote

"Hamas has gone from stonethrowing to guns and rockets, from a support base of a few thousand people to a backing of millions in Arab countries and around the world,"

This quote is not specifically about the Palestinian people being backed by millions around the world; but HAMAS having this backing.

How nice.

Arafat had this sort of backing WELL before the Oslo process as an unrepentant terrorist committed only to Israel's destruction (not a Palestinian state). Remember his famous speech at the UN about olive branches and guns in the 70's? He was a celebrity to the same UN at that time that labeled zionism as racism in 1975.

Times haven't changed much.

[Vegasaurus]

2. They sure haven;t, and that is why

the Palestinians become more miserable every year instead of less.

One cannot only blame their horrible and vile leadership, that teaches and encourages hate and violence, for their misery.

One has to also blame the average Hamas supporter, because supporting terrorists, which has wrought nothing but misery, can only be described as beyond foolish.

If those supporters of Hamas are miserable, they have no one to blame but themselves.

[Alamuti Lotus]

3. Who is miserable?

Not too long ago, you were telling us that Palestinians (Gazans in particular) are all chubby kids on ferris wheels -- now they're miserable? Pick a story and stick to it.

[Vegasaurus]

4. We hear that they are starving and miserable

and frankly, things do sound pretty miserable, but no one is starving.

Even their own people say no one is starving, but I don;t doubt the misery nonetheless.