Shun The Sin, Subsidize The Sinner

Hamas deserves to be recognized by the international community, and despite the group's militant history, there is a chance the soon-to-be Palestinian leaders could turn away from violence, former President Jimmy Carter said Wednesday.

Carter, who monitored last week's Palestinian elections in which Hamas handily toppled the ruling Fatah, added that the United States should not cut off aid to the Palestinian people, but rather funnel it through third parties like the U.N.

Yeah, that'll show those folks how much we disagree with their calling for the destruction of Israel, if we make them deal with the UN staff to pick up their checks. Actually, Jimmy's just giving a history lesson to all those young people who aren't old enough to remember how he lost to a second-rate ex-actor in the middle of an international crisis. Coming soon to your theatre: The Neville Chamberlain Story, starring J. E. Carter in the title role.

Meanwhile, the Israelis announced they might withhold the customs duties they collect on behalf of the Palestinians instead of paying a government run by Hamas. Can't blame them for not having anything to do with the advocates of genocide, but that isn't Israel's money to decide what to do with. Those taxes belong to the Palestinians, and keeping them is theft, pure and simple. How does stealing the money to pay for their government convince the voters they were wrong to elect the Israel-haters?

What we're missing here is a great opportunity to say "a plague on both your houses" and stop funding either of them in any way. Let them come to their senses or kill each other off. Our subsidies only enable the endless haters to continue in power.