Isabel Kershner writes in War on Hamas Saps Palestinian leaders:

The more bombs in Gaza, the more Hamasâ€s support seems to be growing at the expense of the Palestinian Authority, already considered corrupt and distant from average Palestinians.

“The Palestinian Authority is one of the main losers in this war,” said Ghassan Khatib, an independent Palestinian analyst in the West Bank city of Ramallah. “How can it make gains in a war in which it is one of the casualties?”

Israel is proposing, with the tacit agreement of Egypt and the United States, to place the Palestinian Authority at the heart of an ambitious program to rebuild Gaza, administering reconstruction aid and securing Gazaâ€s borders. But that plan is already drawing skepticism. Mr. Khatib, for example, called the idea of any Palestinian Authority role in postwar Gaza “silly” and “naïve.”

But is this true? Is Fatah really losing credibility? Maybe to some degree but as Eric Trager showed, it doesn’t necessarily follow that Hamas has gained credibility.

In recent months the Times itself has reported that there’s been an improvement in the lives of the Palestinians living under Fatah rule. Surely they can compare their own lives to the lives of the resident of Gaza who haven’t seen any material progress since Hamas won the elections three years ago.

It’s ironic that when Hamas launched terror attacks against Israel it made Hamas more popular. And when Israel strikes back against Hamas it makes Hamas more popular. Is there any action that Israel can take that doesn’t help Hamas politically? Or is the media – in this case the NYT – so anxious to show that Hamas is gaining while its leaders remained holed up like rabbits that its reporters will just tailor selected statements to support the conclusion they decided to present.

As best as I can tell, the Times has not reported on the aid convoy that Hamas attacked and looted. Don’t reporters have an obligation to present the whole story not just those soundbites that confirm their thesis? And if all Palestinians were finding out about how the leaders of Hamas were looking out for just themselves while allowing their constituents to face the Israeli attacks, would Hamas still be gaining support? The Times has reported on some of this, but these reports tend to the exceptions. Most of the reporting in the Times is geared to criticizing Israel for striking at Hamas in one way or another. A serious reporter might ask to what degree she is aiding Hamas instead of sticking to her preconceived narrative.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad