The Pot Calling the Kettle Black: Hamas, the Arab League, and a Comedy of Errors

The Arab League should try a career in stand-up comedy.  In an attempt to strut about like a legitimate international organization, they sent a fact-finding mission to Syria to investigate "allegations" about the Assad regime's unjust slaughter of thousands. As the bloodshed continues unchecked and Syrians lie dead in the street, the Arab League's announcements grow increasingly laughable.  

Lt. Gen. Muhammad Ahmed al-Dabi

For their first act, the man they sent to investigate crimes against humanity is Lt. Gen. Muhammad Ahmed al-Dabi, former Sudanese military intelligence chief and owner of a human rights record as questionable as Justin Bieber's gender.  He stands accused, amongst other things, of forming the janjaweed militia that perpetrated atrocities in Darfur.  As an al-Bashir lackey, he is the ideal authoritarian side-kick-- like a malicious, iron-fisted, megalomaniacal version of Robin, i.e.- the prime candidate for sweeping the Assad regime's no-nos under the rug of human rights violations.  

The Arab League's private, guided tour of the Syrian urban battlegrounds-- escorted by Assad henchmen-- yielded some interesting comments from the most qualified human rights expert in the Arab world (or so one would presume if he got the job).   When he inspected Homs, a crucible of anti-government protest that has been the scene of scores of civilian deaths, he was quoted by Reuters as blandly stating (with a yawn, no doubt): "Some places looked a bit of a mess, but there was nothing frightening."  I suppose everything is relative when compared to Darfur.  

As if this farcical panoply of human rights besmirching on behalf of the Arab League wasn't laughable enough, the General Secretary of the Arab League announced that they are asking for Hamas's assistance in curbing the Assad regime's violence.  Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas chairman, was integral in gaining Syrian compliance with the Arab League mission, has once again been called upon to "ask the Syrian authorities to honor their commitments" and cease the violence against their people.  

If that isn't the most absurdly antithetical proposition I have ever heard.  Perhaps the Arab League will also ask Khaled Meshaal to host a lecture series on religious tolerance, civil disobedience, or Jewish history.  Having Hamas ask Syria to curb the slaughter of its protesters is hypocrisy at its worst-- like having a rapist give a sex ed class.  

As much as I would like to see the violence in Syria cease, in some slightly twisted way I am curious to see what other stunts the Arab League can pull before it's all over.