The Iranian government cannot come up with one billion dollars to replace what the Hamas would lose if the US, EU, and Japan cut their subsidies.

They do not have even enough money to pay their bus drivers, who staged a strike after not being paid for months and all they got was beating and jail.

Can the Islamic regime of Iran funnel one billion dollars to the Hamas’s account when it can’t pay the wages of its own employees? The Iranians need every dime they get from the sale of the oil to build their atomic bomb and it is unlikely that they can afford this much money to pay to Hamas. Also if that happens, what would be the reaction of the Iranians who are already restless and at the brink of explosion?

Other sources exist. They are mostly private Muslim donors. But these private donors are already paying what they can. It is unlikely that they can raise an additional one billion dollars every year.

We must also understand a thing or two about the Muslim mind. A Muslim will happily pay to Islamic “charities” as long as he knows that his donation would be used in the way of Jihad where the reward is most copious. He will most likely not be too keen to pay the salaries of the policemen, the office workers or the bus drivers. As long as Hamas was waging Jihad, they were happy and the money kept coming. If the killings stop, the money will stop too.

There is nothing special about being a Palestinian. They became the darling of the Islamic world because they were killing the Jews. Once that stops, they fall from the grace. After all Muslims are dime a dozen and most of them are even poorer than the Palestinians. Thousands of them could die in starvation and no Muslim would give a hoot.

As you see, things are not as bad as they look. Hamas has no choice but to recognize Israel and renounce violence. If they don’t, they will starve and will be removed by those who voted for them. If they continue with terrorism, it is much easier to find them and destroy them now that they are the government.

So, in my opinion the Israelis can go out shopping, ride on the busses and eat out in the restaurants, husband and wife together, with less worry about suicide bombings.

To the members of the Quartet, my humble suggestion is please go home and do nothing. You already made clear your terms: “recognize Israel ’s right to exist, abandon violence and we will recognize you as a legitimate government and keep paying your bills”. They heard it.  There is nothing else to talk about. Now the ball is in their court. Let them mull over it and wait for their response. My hunch is that they will do the right thing at the end. They have cornered themselves. They are the ones who should worry not you.

Terrorists have turned politicians before and it could happen again. All we have to do is remember the Noble Prize winner Yasser Arafat. Yep, miracles can happen!  Err… Or is it that this world is really a funny place?

However, we should not think we are out of the woods yet. If the leaders of Hamas choose to become “honorable” government officials and instead of terrorism play the game of diplomacy and realpolitik, there is no guarantee that another group would not rise from beneath the rocks, denouncing the Hamas as traitors and proclaim itself as the true fighters for the Palestinians.

When an entire generation is raised on hatred, it is not easy for them to give up violence overnight.

Reprinted in http://www.israelnationalnews.com/article.php3?id=5990

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