Indulging in Martyrdom

"Palestine is our from the river to the sea and from the south to the north.  There will be no concession on an inch of the land.  We will never recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation and therefore there is no legitimacy for Israel, no matter how long it will take."
Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal

 He, at least, speaks the unadulterated reality of the Hamas reason for existence and its pledge to be fulfilled irregardless of any attempted interventions.  Had Hamas joined Fatah in a joint bid for UN General Assembly recognition, that formality would have been given an assured affirmation.

Fatah, on the other hand, presents itself as seeking a two-state solution to the peace impasse with Israel, hiding behind a veneer of civility, disclosing only to their own what their true agenda is. 

Gazan Palestinians are said to have majority support for Hamas and its agenda.  An agenda that includes the instant murder of any Palestinians living in Gaza who might think it to their advantage to aid Israel in any manner against the intentions of Hamas. 

And now that Hamas has the formal imprimatur of the new government of Egypt, and the blessings of the Emir of Qatar, along with a friendly nod from Turkey, it no longer sees a need for circumspection.

Not circumspection with respect to its declarations of intention with respect to wiping Israel off the map of the Middle East to retake land that Allah granted specifically and only to Arab possession, but the kind of circumspection that defends the life of those elite commanders whom Israel might seek to destroy. 

Mr. Mashaal knows all about that, and he would no longer be among the living had Israel not been coerced to produce an antidote to the poison meant to destroy his life. He knows full well what he managed to elude, for he paid due homage to the dearly departed military Hamas chief Ahmad Jabari, passing by the remnants of his charred vehicle. 

Mr. Mashaal, formerly extremely careful to maintain a covert presence lest he be again targeted and this time successfully, no longer has that insecure feeling.  His arrival in Gaza came complete with the affirming presence of delegates and dignitaries of other Arab states, rendering further authority to Hamas.

Would Israel attempt a precision assassination in the presence of other Arab notables whose lives might be imperilled by the undertaking of such a sensational strike?  Doubtful. 

Gazans were present there in their numbers - said to be a half-million in total, according to Hamas's accounts - to hear out and revel in the enjoyment of the four-hour rally with its rocket backdrop in celebration of the divine victory that caused destruction to Gazan infrastructure, destroyed arms stockpiles and the deaths of 170 Palestinians.

"Oh dear Meshaal, your army struck Tel Aviv", chanted his supporters.  "Oh Qassam, do it again, hit Haifa next time", the crowds shouted jubilantly.  They lined the streets adoringly, as Mashaal and Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh regally drove by them, waving, flashing victory signs.

Welcomed they were by Palestinian children of militants who had been killed by Israel, the children garbed appropriately in military-style uniforms, for never are they too young for full indoctrination into jihad and its glories.

Weeping in a copious display of emotional patriotism and the joy of being reunited with the sacred soil of Gaza, kneeling on the ground, kissing it fervently, feverish in this display of gratitude to Islam and the surrender to its imperative to restore that which was its own, he enthused, "I have been dreaming of this historic moment my entire life, to come to Gaza."

"I ask God to give me martyrdom one day on this land", he pledged. 

And who among men of courage and determination would wish to deny him that honour and Israel the right to deliver Mashaal to the martyrdom he so craves. 

One day, he said, perhaps not right now.  Not back then either, when Israel was partially successful in delivering him to his maker. 

Might it be possible he wishes martyrdom on others, but prefers not himself to indulge?