Guardian wise to plots of the Big Satan

Peter Beaumont, "foreign affairs editor" of the Guardian, explains in a current article that the only problem with electing Hamas was that "it didn't quite reflect the wishes of Washington and the international community." He concludes:

[...] The reality is that the only people who are really behind Salam Fayyad are the European and US diplomats who have long sung his praises behind the scenes to any journalist prepared to listen. So yesterday President Bush and the other members of the Quartet got what they wanted. Abbas trooped dutifully in to see the US consul-general in Jerusalem with Mohammed Dahlan, the man widely credited with beginning the cycle of violence in Gaza, in tow. And when they emerged, the boycott of US monies to the Palestinian government had been lifted.

It is hard not to be cynical. Palestinian society was squeezed until it hurt - punished as a whole for voting for the wrong party. And when the inevitable explosion occurred last week, Abbas finally fired Hamas, as the US has been encouraging him to do amid his months of dithering.

So which was the real coup? Hamas's bloody attack on the violent gangsters allied to Fatah who have terrorised Gaza for a year? Or Abbas's unconstitutional moves yesterday with America's backing? [...]

Beaumont would actually benefit from some cynicism about Hamas.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Update: Opinion Journal has a good antidote to this sort of thinking.

Tags: Israel, Palestinians, Fatah, Hamas, Salam Fayyad, journalism