I actually think this is a good thing. I assume the mullahs will put them up in some swanky hotel, perhaps instilling in them the valuable “civilian buildings are for sleeping not storing weapons” lesson that most non-cretins just instinctively know. And even if that doesn’t happen, at least they’ll get a good night’s sleep. Those long nights in their bunker under Shifia Hospital – cowering from the IDF – couldn’t have been too restful.
In any case – Hamas failed to down any Israeli planes or blow up any Israeli tanks so now they’re off to Tehran to explain. Or, if you believe the eye-roll inducing Reuters writeup from Khaled Yacoub Oweis, it’s a victory lap:
A high-level delegation from Hamas arrived in Tehran early on Sunday as part of a regional push to reinforce support for the Palestinian group after the Israeli invasion of Gaza, a Hamas official said… Hamas was in close contact with Iran, its main backer along with Syria, during the 22-day Israeli offensive against Gaza, which was halted last month, with the two sides declaring separate ceasefires.
Hamas views the war as resulting in regional diplomatic gains for the group… The group has kept a line open with Cairo, which is mediating a deal for a more solid truce that tries to meet Israel’s demands for stopping arms flows into Gaza and Hamas’s demands for lifting the blockade. Hamas regards the blockade, which damaged Gaza’s economy and further impoverished the majority of the territory’s population, as a form of illegal collective punishments and cited it as a reason for not renewing a previous ceasefire for Israel in December.
I’m assuming that this Oweis guy is a bit of a cub. A more experienced hack would’ve known how to write about Hamas’s vaunted “diplomatic gains” – in the aftermath of Israel’s ostensible “collective punishments” – without resorting to tired tricks like “Hamas views” and “Hamas regards.” That’s just lazy. Or he’d at least have buried an “Israeli officials consider…” sentence at the bottom – for plausible deniability if nothing else. And that’s before we even get to that part about how Iran provides material and diplomatic support to Hamas. What will NPR think?
Tool.
References:
* Hamas head in Tehran to meet Iranian leaders [Reuters]
* Iranian Mullahs Wringing Their Hands As IDF Dismantles Hamas’s Army (Plus: NPR Wonders About “Real Connection” Between Iran And Hamas) [MR]
Previously:
* Hamas Victory – Now Can We Start Worrying About Iran?
* Hamas Already Rebuilding Tunnels For The Weapons That Iran Is Already Sending
* Ceasefire Would Allow Iran To Rearm Hamas Within Weeks
