America's Love for Polarization Puts it at Risk

By now everyone is aware of the Palestinian Civil War that broke out earlier this year when Hamas militants stormed Fatah government offices in the Gaza Strip and sealed it from the more moderate, secular faction who now rules the West Bank. This ignition of violence was exactly what the American people were looking for: a clear cut good guy and bad guy. That was what was really needed, right? Now that we know which Palestinians are the bad minority, the United States can condemn them while supporting the morally upstanding majority in the West Bank.

Unfortunately, our love for trying to polarize every issue into good or bad has resulted in the United States flooding money and aid to an organization that, although not quite as despicable as the Hamas terrorist faction, has just as much blood on its hands. A brief history of the "moderate" Mahmoud Abbas and his faction are in order.

Firstly, Mahmoud Abbas himself is championed as the example of moderation - he has many times entered into deals with Israel and has often times fought diligently for a ceasefire. While this sounds nice and well - it is important to understand that the precursor to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War was the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit was carried out by militant groups directly under the command of Mahmoud Abbas, known as the Al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade. This organization then handed the soldier over to Hamas, who holds him to this day in the Gaza Strip.

In typical Palestinian form, Abbas has long advocated temporary peaces with Israel, founded in the Islamic core value of a ceasefire when you are weak, only to continue the battle once you have regained strength (a temporary cessation of hostilities so the Muslims can catch their breath, in essence). As the Associated Press aims to paint the man as the quintessential modern Marcus Tullius Cicero, he has simply shown an exquisite ability to tell one side what they want to hear while attempting to carry on whatever goals are present to them.