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In Gaza, Hope of a Better Life under Hamas Turns into Frustration
(Washington Post) Karin Brulliard - The housing stipends, promised by Hamas social workers after much of housewife Umm Mohammed's neighborhood was demolished in the Gaza war three years ago, never came. The water barrels pledged by municipal authorities seemed to go only to Hamas cadres. Electricity is a rarity. After five years of rule, Hamas is fast losing popularity, and recent surveys indicate that it would not win if elections were held in Gaza today. Hopes of Islam-guided fairness and an end to the graft that had tainted the tenure of the Fatah party that previously controlled Gaza have turned to widespread griping about Hamas corruption and patronage. Analysts say the top tiers of civil servants are filled by Hamas loyalists, and members of the Hamas elite are widely thought to have enriched themselves through investment in smuggling tunnels and taxes on the imported goods.