Kevin Eckstrom and Rachel Pomerance write in Tuesday’s RNS report that religious groups are trying to figure out a response to Hamas: If you asked many Jewish and evangelical leaders how the United States should react to the Jan. 26 Palestinian elections that ushered Hamas into power, the general reaction would be fairly swift and severe. No aid. No relations. No questions asked. But if you asked many Catholic and mainline Protestant leaders, most would urge a go-slow approach. Support Israel. Wait to see what Hamas does. Keep humanitarian aid flowing. Keep the focus on a long-term solution. As Washington considers what to do about Hamas, an organization it considers a terrorist group, it weighs its response diplomatically, monetarily and politically. Religious groups, in turn, are trying to impact the debate, and their responses show just how divided the faith community is, as well as worried over what could come next.
Hamas’ local experience shows the challenges of governing, reports Joshua Mitnick from the West Bank: When Hamas took control of the local council nine months ago in this town of 42,000, the Islamic militants promised to pave its dirt roads. But the new councilmen have fallen back on a mantra all-too-reminiscent of previous administrations: “Six more months.” “Nothing has changed,” says one resident. “Only the faces.” His frustration reflects the enormous challenges facing Hamas as the new Islamic administration gets down to the nuts and bolts of administering territories wracked by daily violence and overhauling a dysfunctional Palestinian government.
Finally, we offer a primer on where the United States stands in the Middle East, by George Latanzio: President Bush says the United Arab Emirates is an important ally in the Middle East, and its government-owned shipping company should be allowed to control shipping operations at some U.S. ports. There’s no doubt the United States needs all the support it can get for its policies in the region-the Palestinians have just chosen the extremist group Hamas to run their government, a hostile Iran is suspected of trying to create a nuclear arsenal, and the violence in Iraq shows no signs of abating despite three promising rounds of voting. Here is a look at whom we can count on, whom we’re courting and who our enemies are.
