No, Sweetie, The Fancy Rockets Are Only When We Have Guests

By Wafa Shtayyeh, Hamas wife and mother

Shuja’iyya Refugee Camp, Gaza Strip – Honey, I know you love when we break out the special missiles with the sleek design, but you know we only use those when special people are visiting. That’s not today.

I understand you think it’s a waste to have those rockets just siting around for a special occasion, taking up much-needed space, but those are very important our family, and we don’t want them to lose their special status in our hearts by making their use an everyday event. That’s why for our day-to-day routine we’re going to continue using the plain rockets that have served us well for years and years already.

You’re disappointed, sweetheart, I can see that. You’re allowed to feel disappointed. We don’t always get what we want. In fact we rarely get what we want most. Have our brave fighters succeeded in breaking through the border fence en masse and slaughtering the Jews or sending them fleeing? No. Has our continued pursuit of violence eased the blockade one iota? Also no. Has our elected leadership – such as it is – done anything to improve our lives instead of using us as pawns in their quest for glory and the cachet of Resistance? No again. Disappointment plays an important part in life, and we must all learn to handle it. That’s how we grow.

Often the best way to handle disappointment is to blame the Jews. That traditional method for dealing with failure has stood us in good stead for many centuries, but especially in the last hundred years. Much of the world shares our proclivity for it, adding to its appeal. But in this case, honey, you’re just going to have to accept that we don’t use our fine missiles for everyday purposes. It’s no one’s fault, as difficult as you may find that to comprehend, but unless your father brings home someone higher-ranking in the resistance movement for dinner this evening, those rockets will stay where they are.

Well, how do you like that – your father just called to say he’s coming home today with Mr. Hamed Khodari, who handles money transfers from Iran! What a privilege! I guess we’ll have a chance to use those better-grade rockets after all. They’re driving here in Mr. Khodari’s car, so it looks like they’ll be here in just a couple of hours, right in time for dinner.

Are you feeling happier now, cupcake?

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