Read the Economist leader for yourself, and see the bias in Slate's summary. Key economist points:

-- Hamas is popular in part because it provides less corrupt, more humane and effective government than Fatah. Fatah is hopelessly corrupt, and runs shadowy, vicious, unaccountable secret police organizations, rather like the Egyptian government. So by propping up Abbas, the US is once again imposing tyranny on Arabs for the convenience of Israel.

-- The different fates of Gaza vs. the West Bank will not be due to Hamas extremism. It will result because the Americans and Israelis shower money on Abbas while blockading and starving out Gaza.

-- Turning Abbas into the Israeli-American dog on leash will not work as a strategy unless the Israelis concede some measure of justice to Abbas. (Start holding your breath and wait ...)

Read it for yourself -- it's online at economist.com.

So for the convenience of Isreal we must accept a violent religious regime whose goal is to spread Islamic law world wide?

Hamas, like Sharia law, must lose its grip on Islam or the entire faith will be deemed a terrorist organization.

When the difference between a radical and a moderate is which sermon they listened to last it appears to be pointless to defend any side in the palestinian government let alone in the middle east.