Hamas to Convert Synagogue to Weapons Museum

LGF: Incredibly vile behavior from the terrorist gang the world is trying desperately to promote to a “political entity:” Hamas To Convert Synagogue to Weapons Museum. (Hat tip: LGF readers.)

As the New York Sun reports:

Emboldened by Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and part of the West Bank, Hamas yesterday announced its plan to turn a synagogue in Netzarim into a museum that would display weapons employed by the terrorist group's members against Israeli civilians.

A statement issued yesterday by Hamas said, "Qassam rockets and other locally made arms will be exposed, since it is the legal weapon that evicted the occupation forces."

As LGF points out,

where the hell is the world’s outrage about this? Newsweek prints a false rumor that a Koran was dunked in a toilet, and the entire planet goes nuts. Hamas announces that they’re going to turn a Jewish house of worship into a memorial to mass murder ... and the silence is absolutely deafening.

Nice double standard. Another one is later in the Sun article, when discussing whether Hamas will have to disarm before the Palestinian elections in January.

On Tuesday the Quartet, a diplomatic group comprising America, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations, released a statement that envisioned the disarming of Hamas in phases and not necessarily as a precondition for its participation in parliamentary elections on January 25.

"We also agreed that ultimately those who want to be part of the political process should not engage in armed group or militia activities," the joint statement said. "For there is a fundamental contradiction between such activities and the building of a democratic state."

The inclusion of the modifier, "ultimately," could pave the way for Hamas to run candidates and join the government even if it keeps its weapons.

Ah, the old "should not" - a very threatening statement, that Hamas is sure to listen to. Can you picture it now?

Quartet: "You know, you really shouldn't." Hamas: "Oh yes, you're right - let's go give away our weapons now."

Sharon, for his part, is sticking to his guns about this one, stating that Israel absolutely will not support elections in the territories unless Hamas is disarmed.

"We will never agree that this terrorist organization, this armed terrorist organization, will participate in the elections," he told reporters on September 18.

And, as he points out,

"I don't see how they could have elections without our help."

The Palestinian infrastructure is so poor - especially with Hamas armed - that to run proper and fair elections without help from Israeli security and Israeli advice and infrastructures would be impossible.

To both his credit and shame, President Bush has not taken a stance either way.

Mr. Bush has not specified whether Hamas must disarm. Speaking to the Jewish Republican Coalition yesterday, he said that the Palestinian Authority was unifying its security services.

"The policy of this government is to streamline the security forces so there's only one authority with security forces, and that's the authority that campaigned based upon a peace platform," Mr. Bush said. "The policy of this government is to help entrepreneurship flourish, to help small businesses start. The Arab world needs to help right now. They need to step in and help the peaceful democratic forces within the Palestinian - within Gaza, to thwart those whose stated objective is the destruction of Israel."

Though at least he recognizes what they are all about.

Technorati tags: (sorry so many!) Hamas, Synagogue, Weapons, Museum, Israel, Gaza, Sharon, President Bush.