EVEN HAMAS NEEDS GOOD PR...

I came across this piece of news today - Hamas has hired some public relations man for a little under $200,000 to rescue the organization's image.

Not to be condescending here, but what exactly will this person do? Mr. Nashat Aqtash - who says he is not a member of Hamas and does not know where the funds for his paycheck come from - was brought in because of the impending Palestinian elections, to be held next week on January 25, 2006. According to the polls, Hamas will be a force to reckon with in the Palestinian Legislative Council. So here comes Mr. Aqtash.

With a media background (that is what he teaches at Birzeit University in Ramallah), this man has the indisputably very difficult task of convincing the rest of the world that Hamas is not made up of several disgruntled, pathologically-unfit-for-society individuals whose only goal in life is to destroy Israel and Jews in general.

So what will Mr. Aqtash say? That Hamas was once a peaceful organization, but later forced to fight? That Hamas does not believe in terrorism and actually recognizes the right of Israel to exist (up until this minute, it has not)? Or will he try to ignore the fact that the Hamas Covenant calls for the destruction of the Jewish state and the imposition of an Islamic one instead?

Well, so far he has been capitalizing on Palestinian suffering and advising those affiliated with Hamas in any capacity to avoid making anti-semitic remarks of any kind. There is even some rumour that he has been trying to persuade Sheikh Mohammed Abu Tir, second on the Hamas national list for the Palestinian parliamentary election, to get rid of his infamous red beard, which he dyes with henna...



It will be hard for most people (nearly impossible for many) to let go of the image of Hamas terrorists responsible for, let's say, the Passover Massacre of 2002, the Jerusalem bus 20 bombing, and more. As an insight into the psyche of Hamas: more recently, in September 2005, a transport carrying Hamas rockets exploded during one of their parades (seriously - they parade! With rockets! Among their own people!) through Gaza, killing civilian spectators. Immediately, Hamas attempted to blame the Israelis for the explosion, and responded by firing rockets at Israel. The Palestinian Authority and Israel both denounced Hamas's claim as false.

My humble opinion, from my Angeleno outspost here: maybe if they stop cheering everytime they kill people; maybe if they stop the bombings; maybe if they cut back on the "death to Israel" talk - well, all this could have a somewhat positive effect. I am still an optimist, after all. But man... It does seem nearly impossible.

Good luck, Mr. Aqtash.