Hamas steals Arafat's Nobel Peace Prize

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Image of Nobel medal from Citizen Journalism Nepal.

How many layers of sadness, irony, and hilarity are contained in this little tidbit from the Jerusalem Post:

Enraged Fatah leaders on Saturday accused Hamas militiamen of looting the home of former Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat in Gaza City.

"They stole almost everything inside the house, including Arafat's Nobel Peace Prize medal," said Ramallah-based Fatah spokesman Ahmed Abdel Rahman. "Hamas militiamen and gangsters blew up the main entrance to the house before storming it. They stole many of Arafat's documents and files, gifts he had received from world leaders and even his military outfits."

(emphasis added). The Hotline's Blogometer rounds up some of the expected snarky reactions.

I don't have any particular insight into the latest Hamas vs. Fatah fighting. It sucks, and bodes ill for the region of course. And it sort of highlights the problems with Bush's "elections for everyone" strategy. What do you do when Hamas gets elected? I don't have any slick, easy answers. I doubt there are any.

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