http://news.bostonherald.com/editorial/view.bg?articleid=1009160&format=text

“Extremists link up with extremists.” So said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week upon hearing that Ayman al-Zawahri, the top deputy to Osama bin Laden, had released a message enthusiastically supporting Hamas’ bloody takeover of Gaza.

Public relations-wise, Hamas’ leaders are pretty savvy.

This week, Hamas attempted to distance itself from the al-Zawahri endorsement – while being careful not to criticize al-Qaeda. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said simply: “Hamas has its own program… we want to have good relations with all Arab and Muslim powers.”

The truth is that Hamas and al-Qaeda are – ideologically – connected at the hip. Both are terrorist groups. Both are in the business of waging what they believe will be the final war against the infidels.

There is one distinction: Whereas al-Qaeda will fight anywhere it thinks it can defeat “crusaders and Zionists,” Hamas’ goal is more modest: to wipe only Israel off the map. Al-Qaeda thinks globally, Hamas acts locally.

Eighteen months ago, Hamas defeated its rival, Fatah, in an election that was praised as a groundbreaking exercise in democracy.

Even this discount version of democracy broke down. Hamas launched a civil war in Gaza. Hamas murdered the most troublesome Fatah members; they shot the kneecaps of those they considered more open to persuasion.

The “human-rights community” hardly seemed to notice. The “human-rights community” is not much interested in any violence carried out in the name of Islam, except to the extent it can be blamed on the United States and/or Israel.

The sensible thing for Israel to do would be to seal its border with Gaza. At the same time, the United States and Europe should cut off all aid. Let Iran ’s ayatollahs and al-Qaeda’s financiers send supplies. Surely, they could squeeze that in among the weapons and explosives they are now shipping.

But never expect sense when it comes to the Middle East. Instead, both the United States and Europe plan to assist Hamas, if not directly then through the United Nations.

Reportedly, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has “acceded” to the request of Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas to continue supplying humanitarian aid to Gaza with food, drugs, medical services, clean water and electricity. In addition, Israel, the United States and the Europeans are falling all over themselves to give Abbas money and aid.

Instead of giving him unconditional support, why not set a few benchmarks? Why not tell Abbas it’s time to disarm – or at least disavow – Fatah terrorist factions? How about insisting he initiate a serious campaign against theft by his cronies of aid intended for destitute Palestinians? And wouldn’t it send a message were Abbas to state without equivocation that another generation of Palestinians should not be sacrificed in pursuit of the genocidal dream of Israel’s annihilation?

“Extremists link up with extremists,” Rice said. And right now extremists from al-Qaeda, Hamas, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere are linking up to humiliate and, they are confident, eventually defeat the civilized world. Isn’t it time the civilized world at least stopped assisting them?