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Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/12/27/2009-12-27_their_own_worst_enemies.html
Hamas-Ruled Gaza Suffers While West Bank Thrives
(New York Daily News) Editorial - One year ago Sunday, Israel finally responded to a multiyear barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza on schools, homes and synagogues. That restrained act of self-defense has been repaid with howls that a sovereign nation protecting itself from terrorists has committed war crimes. The picture of what's happened to the Palestinian people on the ground is powerfully educational. A year on, unoccupied Gaza, where Hamas rules, is an isolated, toxic stew of Islamic radicalism and political repression. Contrast this with the West Bank, where Israel is technically an occupying force but the Palestinian Authority runs the show. The streets are quiet. The economy is growing. The city of Ramallah has film festivals, shopping centers and construction sites. Observers say conditions are the best they've seen since 1948. It is up to the Palestinians to choose their path: Embrace radicalism, feed terrorism and get poverty and a permanent state of war. Or co-exist with a neighbor and plant the seeds of peace and prosperity.