Yes, we are lovers of democracy. According to our President, we want to spread democracy around the world. I am told we are currently bringing democracy to Iraq.
But alas, our love affair with democracy seems to have limits, because democracy is a lot like history - sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad.
The last two Presidential elections have had allegations of voter fraud. Even the recent Iraq elections had some fraud allegations, but I have yet to hear or read about any fraud in the recent Palestinian election.
If you have not been keeping up, Hamas, a Palestinian group who is recognized by the United States and the United Nations as a terrorist organization, recently won a majority of seats in their new government. Yes, the people have spoken, but they have not spoken what the U.S., the U.N. and Israel wanted them to say.
Hamas has said that it does not recognize Israel as a nation, and have basically said that they want to wipe Israel off the map. And of course, like in almost every aspect of politics, there is money involved.
The U.S., the U.N. and even Israel have been giving money to the Palestinian government, which before the elections was run by the Palestinian Authority (P.A.). The P.A. has been working with Israel on a peace process, which had a big boost from the recent Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The problem now is this: the U.S. and the U.N. do not negotiate or do business with those deemed to be terrorists, and of course, Israel would not want to do business with someone intent on wiping them off the map. The Palestinians have been dependent on the money that has been given to them for their economy. So now what?
Time will tell. It will depend mostly on the new Palestinian government and the way Hamas leads it. It will depend on whether or not Hamas will change its mind about Israel. But with all the variables in this scenario, one thing seems certain: Democracy has its ups and downs.
So I ask, do we support democracy in general or just when it's convenient?
more info:
Palestinians Appeal for Continued Aid (AP)
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