The unbearable lightness of the EU

Background to the story: in case you have been on the dark side of the moon in the last month, it happened that Hamas, a notorious arab palestinian terrorist organization, in the untouchable list of all the civilized countries, won the elections in the Palestine National Authority. Now, that by itself is not surprising, as Palestinians have a given calling to masochism and self-inflicted martyrdom (which doesn't mean they don't have their share of good reasons), but the point is that for the first time an official terrorist organization can rule by itself, and having been democratically elected a that (yes, with violences at the polls, but not enough to have the international obvservers put in doubt the "substantial" democraticity of the vote).

The reactions were immediate from the US, EU, Israel "We shall not give money to a terrorist group, even if democratically elected to guide a country, unless they cease to be a violent group and recognize the right of Israel to exist". It was the 25th January 2006.

Especially the german Angela Merkel appeared very determined on the point, and the general approach of the European Union, for a couple of weeks, that it would had been "unthinkable" for the EU to continue funding the Palestinian Authority if Hamas did not change its positions, led some commentors to dare and saying that the Europeans, finally, had an idea of foreign policy, at least on a single issue.

To be noted that the PNA lives on external aids as basically the do not produce anything. To make an example, just last year, the EU gave them 600 millions euros.. money that in part goes to help the needing "refugees" (question: can you call someone who has been born and lived for the last 50 years somewhere a refugee? When does the refugee status end, or it's a perpetual title that is passed from father to son?), but that for the most part disappears in officers' embezzlement and corruption and possibly, at least inpart, end up in the hands of the verious happy terrorists that lunch rockets on Isreal's civilians and send virgins-seeking "martyrs" to blast to pieces civilians in Iraq (everywhere), Spain (Atocha), United Kingdom (London).

So... yesterday, 27th of febraury, one month and 2 days after the elections, while Hamas has strongly refused both to curtail its freedom of action (meaning, to stop using terror as a political mean, even in principle) and to recognize Israel's right to existance, while it nominated as future prime minister Ismail Haniya (close associated with the late Sheikh Yassin, but considered a "pragmatist" just because he didn't expressely said that Israel should be wiped out), and while US asked the PNA to give back 50 millions dollars that were not going to be used before the Hamas' government started to rule, the EU decided to give them 140 millions euros, which Hamas was prompt to accept "as long as it is not restricted by any conditions or a swap with the rights of our Palestinian people"... Oh, thank you for the honor of accepting our money.

Ok, we knew that European Union was agonizing after the blow of the French and Dutch rejection of the (unreadable, 300 pages long) European Constituion and that it was mostly interested in funding the farmers with its budget than anything else. We knew that to think of a common, reasonable and stable approach to international matters by the 15, now 25, was as likely as for a lamb to start roaring, but... 33 days? Even Neville Chamberlein's opposition to Hitler's ambitions on the Sudeten did last longer than that. On the left, the newly proposed European Union flag, mourning-black stars on a proud surrender-white background.

Personal note: I really was a hugely euro-enthusiast back in the early 90s... then came the bombs over Belgrade, the Euro catastrophe (which could probably be avoided, but that caused the total impoverishment of the european middle class and of teh ones living on stable salaries), the cowardice shown over practically every important international matter, the total surrender to China social-dumping-derived minimal-price goods and, possibly worst than everything, the total lack of vision on the raising islamic problem that is crashing on us. That's it.