Lies and punishment

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/article_1153386.php/Oxfam_slams_EU_aid_cut-off_to_Hamas_government
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/3779091.html


Let me say up front that simply reading the referenced articles will not be enough background. I have studied and followed Middle East politics for several years and do not claim to understand all that goes on. I regularly read "scholarly" works on them and the scholars are not in agreement either. And, naturally, the writers, like it or not, have a "pro-Western" slant, if you will. With that said, I do think there is some value to looking at the situation repeatedly.
Hamas has one purpose, one goal, one basis for existence; destroying an existing state, preferably through violence. The Palestinian people voted them in, despite being warned that Israel would, quite logically I would think, remove financial support for an institution dedicated to their destruction. I suspect I would avoid paying someone who only wanted to kill me to. Why would I support them financially?
'Whatever the politics of such a decision, it would be ordinary people who would suffer the consequences. Cutting aid now would undermine already fragile local institutions and only hurt ordinary people,' Oxfam said in a statement.
I would dispute that statement. That absolves the "ordinary people" who voted Hamas in to power of responsibility. They hurt themselves. The responsibility to vote intelligently and with the realization that your vote has an impact, and consequences, is part of the voters' responsibility. They took a chance and it is not paying off. The blame here does not lie on Israel, the EU, the U.S....it does not even rely completely on Hamas. Hamas, whatever else I think of them, has been honest. They did not lie, deceive, or mislead about their aims. They stated their position quite clearly. I might (and do) disagree with their position, but they were crystal clear on their intent. The people voted them anyway. Now that the consequences are being felt and 3rd parties are calling foul. They want the "innocent" people to be able to vote in other people to do their dirty work without suffering the consequences. Wild accusations of "not supporting democracy" are being leveled. I would argue falsely.
Part of "democracy" is bearing the penalty of your mistakes. We elected Kennedy, he moved us deeper into an ugly war we should never have been in to start with. The flower of our youth paid the penalty. We elected nixon and he proved quite dishonest. Our "prestige" took a shot. We paid the price of looking foolish. We selected Carter, a good, good man and a bad, bad President. We paid the price economically. And so forth. What is the difference? You make a poor choice, you get consequences.
Oxfam made the comments after the European Commission said it had stopped up to 30 million euros (37 million dollars) in assistance to the Palestinian government following Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's refusal to renounce violence and recognize Israel.
Hamas has the right to hold this stance. They do NOT have the right to hold this stance without bearing the consequences.
A decision on future EU assistance to the Palestinian government will depend on whether Hamas meets three key conditions, including a decision to renounce violence, recognize Israel and abide by past Israeli-Palestinian peace deals, Udwin said.
The choice is clear. Stop killing or stop getting money. They have the right to keep their hardline stance. Why is it unclear to ANYONE that other countries have the right to maintain their stance? but instead, we blame them for not supporting it directly? What am I missing here?
Despite the current severance of direct aid to the Palestinian Authority, EU assistance to meet the 'basic needs' of the Palestinian people would continue, diplomats said.
I deplore that decision. History has shown repeatedly...in Russia, China, Africa, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, everywhere...that money will NOT end up supporting the poor and needy. It will allow the continuance of Hamas killing.
from the second link:
After more than five years of fighting with Israel, about 43 percent of the Palestinians live in poverty.
Yet the voters believed selecting a government specifically to exacerberate violence was the answer. Now people are crying over the consequences. Obviously, judging by the repetition, THAT is what bothers me.
If Hamas cannot provide for the Palestinians, it has no business staying in power, he said.
"It's not simple for Hamas, but we want to live, with or without Hamas," Abu Hattab said. "If it gets worse, then we can just say farewell (to Hamas)."
Voters have the ability. Guess what? The policy of not paying Hamas to kill is working.