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Source: http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090104/OPINION/361845413/1080
Hamas Has Failed - It Is Time They Stepped Down
[The National-Abu Dhabi] Sultan Al Qassemi - It is high time for Hamas to step down as the keeper of Gaza. People will object and remind us that they were democratically elected. Yes, but they are incompetent. Clearly, Hamas has not mastered the art of politics. Despite donations from wealthy Arabs in the Gulf to cover an annual budget that the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations estimates at $70 million, Hamas has hardly managed to amass a significant arsenal or military capabilities. All it has to show after all this time and money is little more than long-range fireworks that it launches into neighboring towns but which do more damage to its own image than to any infrastructure in Israel. Hamas' 18-month rule has been marred by lawlessness, extra-judicial public killings and gang warfare that is more reminiscent of Somalia than a civilized state.