The One Thing Israel and Hamas Have in Common
The hatred and suspicion of international aid organizations and Palestinian nongovernmental organizations is something Israel and Hamas share. But if Israel allowed the Palestinians to live and prosper, the charities wouldn’t even be needed.
Amira Hass Aug 09, 2016
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There are some junctions where the interests and sentiments of Israel and Hamas intersect. The hatred and suspicion of international aid organizations and Palestinian nongovernmental organizations is one such place. At the same time, though, these sworn enemies – Israel and Hamas – need these organizations, and benefit from their existence and activities. The fellowship of hypocrites.
Hamas is suspicious of the international organizations and Palestinian NGOs that it did not establish itself, because they offer a different way of thinking and behaving, reduce the numbers of families dependent on the movement – and also because many of them are trying to restrict their contacts with Hamas (following the Quartet’s orders).
Hamas also plays on the general Palestinian enmity toward these organizations: the very high salaries of the foreigners; the gap in wages between directors and salaried employees within local associations; their irritating and incomprehensible jargon; and the fact that they are a track to some sort of social mobility that few attain.