The Myth of a Hamas “Technocrat”

Recently, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swore in a new unity government that incorporates ministers appointed by Hamas.  By law, U.S. aid is to be cut off from any Palestinian government where Hamas holds “undue influence” unless Hamas complies with strict guidelines.  One of these is the public acknowledgement of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state – Something Hamas still has not done.

However, the State Department announced that the Obama administration is willing to work with this new Palestinian unity government, citing that the new government is composed of “technocrats” with no explicit Hamas affiliations and many having served in the prior government.  Additionally, the administration stated that they plan to continue U.S. financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority.

By continuing to fund the Palestinian Authority, the Obama administration is skirting U.S. laws and financing terrorists by giving these ministers the title of “technocrats”.  But what is a Technocrat?

The modern concept of a technocrat grew from works of science fiction first developed in the 1920’s.  The concept grew throughout the 1930’s through science fiction publications and later becoming a full fledge movement.  The term has recently grown very popular in Europe, specifically in Greece and Italy.

A technocrat is an expert who exercises managerial authority in the fields of their respective ministries.  In a technocracy, power is placed in the hands of scientist, engineers and other experts in the field in which the hold power.  In essence, it is a highly educated bureaucracy.  The theory is premised on the idea that a Ministry of Health would be run by doctors, teachers would run a Ministry of Education and so forth.

There are multiple flaws with the concept of a technocracy.  I doubt anyone would argue in favor of having incompetent people running our government and economy.  However, a big flaw specific to the concept of a Hamas technocrat is that one can be an expert at a particular discipline and still be a terrorist.  These are not mutually exclusive ideas.

Not all terrorists are uneducated simpletons.  For example, Humam al-Balawi, who perpetrated a suicide attack on the Forward Operating Base Chapman in Afghanistan in 2009, was a medical doctor.  Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden’s deputy and al-Qaeda’s chief strategist is a trained surgeon.  In fact, all of Hamas’s leaders are university graduates and several have advanced degrees.

Hamas is an openly anti-Semitic terrorist organization that calls for the complete destruction of Israel and has claimed responsibility for the deaths of countless innocent Israelis via rocket attacks, shootings and the cowardly act of suicide bombing.

Hamas provides social services including the funding of hospitals, schools and the building of roads.  Experts run these social services, yet the Hospitals run by Hamas serve as terrorist command posts; the schools under Hamas control are used to indoctrinate Palestinian children with the hatred of Jews and the roads are named after individuals who have killed innocent Israeli men, women, and children.

Additionally, the argument that these are the same individuals from the old government does not hold water.  Either it is a new government incorporating Hamas or it is the same old government, slightly rearranged.  It cannot be both.  Announcing a new government featuring the same old people would be a pointless venture for a Palestinian Authority interested in peace.  Just because these ministers do not have Hamas written down as their political party on their voter registration cards does not eliminate their obvious affiliation with the terrorist group.  Hamas has clearly exercised their influence by identified and appointed these representatives.

Lawmakers are rightfully pushing to classify the newly formed unity government as a foreign terrorist organization, and call for the government to cut off aid to the Palestinians.  Necessary undertakings until the Palestinians stop associating with terrorist, violence, and can show their willingness to accept Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.

The Obama administration has decided to skirt U.S. law and provide financial support to a terrorist entity by describing them as experts via science-fiction terminology.  One can only hope that the Obama administration will stop watching the sci-fi channel and realize that calling terrorists by another name does not make them any less dangerous.