Hamas takes to the papers

Now that Hamas has won the Palestinian elections, they’re trying to rehabilitate their image in the western media. American-educated Mousa Abu Marzook has a piece in the Washington Post entitled, What Hamas is Seeking. Khalid Mish’al, another Hamas political operative, has a piece in The Guardian explaining that Palestinians knew good and well what electing Hamas meant for their relations with the United States and Europe, and did it anyway. The Washington Post piece is a lot more conciliatory than one in The Guardian.

I have no idea how to interpret the election or the aftermath, or to predict what happens next. I’ll be watching closely to see what transpires.