Ali Abunimah's NY Times commentary piece has very little to do with comparisons with Ireland, and he willfully fails to recognize what Hamas is about.
But I'm more appalled by his take on the inequal body count:
As for violence, Hamas has inflicted a fraction of the harm on Israeli civilians that Israel inflicts on Palestinian civilians. If violence disqualifies Hamas, surely much greater violence should disqualify the Israelis?
I'm not apologizing for Israel's luck, superior arms, or Palestinian ineptitude. That more Israelis haven't died over the years doesn't reflect Hamas' lack of effort.
And if Abunimah opens the door on the death toll, it'll mean addressing inflated casualty counts.
For more on the Irish comparison, see Z-Word.
