Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema warned the West against isolating Hamas, saying there was a risk of pushing the movement into the arms of al-Qaida, according to Corriere della Sera and other reports on Tuesday.
| Massimo is a little behind the times, isn't he ... |
Last week, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas of the rival Fatah movement claimed that thanks to Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in June, al-Qaida is entering the coastal strip. Hamas denied the accusation.
D'Alema described Hamas, which has been shunned by the West, as "a real power that represents a large part of the Palestinian people," D'Alema said Monday evening in Tuscany. "Hamas has committed terrorist acts but it is also a movement of the people. For the West not to recognize a government that was democratically elected ... it is not a very good lesson in democracy," he said.
| We recognized them allright, we recognized them for what they were, a bunch of terrorist thugs. We reacted accordingly. So did Massimo, which is a big part of the problem. |
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