Mere Rhetoric: AP: Gaza Christians Have Been Living Peacefully, Now Under Attack By Unknown Extremists

Meryl points out that it must have taken an almost inhuman act of will for the AP not to blame Israel, and we suppose baby steps are to be applauded. This is still confusing drivel:

The ransacking of a Catholic convent and an adjacent Rosary Sisters school during Hamas' sweep to power broke more than wood and plaster. It signaled the end of a relatively peaceful, if sometimes uneasy, relationship between Gaza's 1.4 million Muslims and 3,000 Christians.

That's in the second paragraph, which is where many of the people who didn't stop reading after the lede stop reading. The bottom of the next paragraph, however, has this little tidbit:

Despite promises of protection by Hamas leaders, Christians fear more attacks, and some say they want to leave. Gaza's flock already has been hit hard by emigration in recent years, and a new exodus could remove what is left of one of the Arab world's oldest Christian communities.

Which kind of begs the question: if Gaza's Christians have been living in peace with Hamas, what's been causing the steady flight? It's not the "occupation of Gaza" that, contrary to implications and slips by media outlets, doesn't actually "exist" in "reality".

The truth, of course, is that Gaza Christians have been getting firebombed for months if not years. And they're certainly not going to the West Bank, because they've been getting firebombed there too. In fact, as far back as 2005 Christians were already complaining about organizing anti-Christian violence in Palestinian areas.

Which makes this next part about a mythical Muslim-Christian Palestinian convergence that's been derailed particularly stupid:

The attack marked a watershed for Gaza's Christians, crushing the belief that a shared Palestinian identity would override Muslim-Christian differences... Christians have held a unique place in Gaza's society as respected members of the territory's small elite, running schools, hospitals and businesses. Yasser Arafat, the late Palestinian leader, courted Christians, assigning them top posts in government and his Fatah movement.

We kind of think that the "secular Palestinian state" ship left the port when the Palestinians started electing radical Islamists who sought to impose sharia in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. But maybe there's a nuance we're missing.

References:
* AP notices Gaza's Christians are in danger, does not blame Israel [Yourish]
* Convent Damage Unsettles Gaza Christians [ABC]
* BBC Slips, Proves Liberal Gaza Occupation Fetish [MR]
* Gaza Internet Cafes and Christian Bookstore Bombed - No One Knows Who Did It! [MR]
* Video: Palestinian Christians Being Attacked, Firebombed Out Of The West Bank (Bonus: Sharia Law In the Palestinian Constitution) [MR]
* Few, Isolated Palestinian Muslims Apparently Hate Christians Too [MR]

Previously:
* Hamas Takeover Triggers Open Attacks On Christians In Gaza
* Oh No! Not the "All Religions Are Violent" Argument!
* Hamas Popularity Growing. Overwhelming Number Of Palestinians Want Elections. Hmmm.

Cross-posted to:
* The Astute Bloggers
* Israpundit