Trouble in Hamastan

Hamas crushed its armed opposition in Gaza but it may now face a tougher challenge.

Earlier this week, the teachers' union in Gaza decided to strike to protest Hamas' politicizing their jobs. Hamas responded by arresting and torturing union heads and replacing them with Hamas loyalists.

Now, the medical workers are starting an open-ended strike in Gaza and civil service workers are threatening to strike as well to protest similar heavy-handed Hamas tactics against them.

The medical workers will continue to work for free in non-Hamas hospitals.

This is a very interesting development that has flown under the MSM radar. It may be the most significant threat that Hamas has had to face, especially since the PA continues to effectively but indirectly bankroll Hamas using money from the rest of the world. Hamas simply does not have enough qualified people to staff all of these positions and the people of Gaza will blame Hamas for their loss of services.

Hamas may be forced into the sort of pragmatic decision making that many thought Hamas would have to deal with when it took power, that was stupidly cushioned by its supposed rival's bankrolling of Gaza's infrastructure.

As usual, the Palestinian Arab people (for all their failings) show far more common sense than their leaders who care more about staying in power than about helping their own people.