Democracy or terror

The aid provided by the EU to the PA this year (2005) will be m$342.8.
Adding the amounts given by the 25 member states of the EU separately in
addition to this, raises Europe's contribution to the PA to m$614, quite a
respectable sum! Given that the US is the main contributor to Israel and
that Israel has twice the population of the PA, this level of support is
basically in the same range for both the PA and Israel.
The US also makes a contribution to the PA, this year m$50 was pledged
as a special donation by Pres. Bush. However, US funds are contingent on
the PA stopping terrorism against Israeli civilians, while EU donations are
not. The question arises, what if the terror organizations that are especially
active in Gaza, namely Hamas, Islamic Jihad (supported by Iran) and al Aksa
Martyrs Brigades, are also virulently anti-Western. Do the people of the
European countries involved still want to send millions of dollars to
support the PA, when there is no attempt by the PA to curb the activities
of the terror organizations.
A case in point is the involvement of Hamas in the upcoming Palestine
Legislative Authority elections due in January. Should an organization such
as Hamas, that is essentially anti-democratic be allowed to be involved in
these elections? PM Sharon says that they should not. In the West, such
organizations would be disqualified from participating, since they run
active militias in which members not only carry guns but wear uniforms,
and go around masked. Democracy and terrorism are fundamentally
incompatible.
In fact, according to the basic law of the PA, such organizations are also
in principle disqualified from participating in PA elections. But, the
objection to Hamas participating has been attributed in the media solely
to the Israeli Government, no one else seems to be bothered by the fact
that such anorganization would not be allowed to participate in elections
in all thecountries donating funds to the PA, as well as in Iraq, where the
Hamas-style terrorists are in fact leading a violent insurrection against
the democratic process.
The Quartet of the US, UN, EU and Russia (everyone wants to get in on the
act), met in New York today to discuss the situation of the PA post-
disengagement. The Quartet want Israel to start action on a withdrawal
from the West Bank. But, Israel, with tacit US support, has said that there
can be no further disengagements unless the PA shows that it is capable
of organizing a democratic civil society in Gaza, a very reasonable test.
Without, that, terrorism will continue, as threatened by Hamas leaders,
and if that happens then Israel is certainly not going to make more
unilateral concessions
So what's it to be in Gaza, either democracy or terrorism, the PA can't
have it both ways.