Had Hamas been recognized, they likely would have gone through the same evolution as other formerly violent movements did after going legitimate. The Irish IRA; the South African ANC; yes, even Israel's Irgun, which later produced a prime minister, Begin.

In the event that rockets were still fired from Gaza, Israel would have had a strong case that it had been attacked without justification by the legitimate government of a neighboring quasi-state — a case which could have been taken to the UN Security Council.

Like most governments, Israel and the US display a strong preference for dealing with state actors, instead of subnational movements. This is evident in their propping up of Abbas, as a Palestinian figurehead. Had Hamas assumed office, USrael would have had a government that they could either deal with, or 'take to court' [as in the UN Security Council] if it refused to refrain from illegal attacks.

As matters stand, it was USrael which flagrantly violated international rules with a brutal siege — to such an extent that Hamas's own violation of allowing rocket fire looks minor by comparison. Just as if your neighbor's dog bites you, you probably will not succeed in filing 'dangerous dog' charges if you respond first by charging in and murdering the owner before involving the authorities. By acting like violent outlaws, the US and Israel have destroyed any legal or moral claim they might have had against Hamas.

The US/Israeli siege of Gaza has proven to be a spectacular policy failure — comparable only to Algeria's blood-drenched blunder of nullifying an Islamist victory in 1991 elections, at an eventual cost of 250,000 lives. The Gazan death toll isn't that high yet. But it took the Algerians a decade to lose that many, so be patient.

Priceless.

By acting like violent outlaws, the US and Israel have destroyed any legal or moral claim they might have had against Hamas.

Not to mention any hope for being appointed the World's Dogcatchers.

Why they wavin' foreign flags?

Stoopid immigrants.

Don't lump us all into the same category, though I agree that there are some around here whose antisemitism drags the site down. We've also got a liberal Zionist who virtually never criticizes Israel and one anti-Arab racist to balance off the antisemites.

Still, there are also some worthwhile comments and interesting links from time to time.

And yes, Daniel Levy is one of the good guys, whether or not I agree with him on all points.