The Palestinians and their acolytes at Reuters are, in a word, insane

According to the Handbook of Self and Identity, edited by Mark Leary, a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University, compartmentalization is "a psychological defense mechanism used consciously or unconsciously to avoid cognitive dissonance, or the mental discomfort and anxiety caused by a person having conflicting values, cognitions, emotions, beliefs, etc within themselves. Compartmentalization allows these conflicting ideas to co-exist by inhibiting direct and/or explicit acknowledgement and interaction between separate compartmentalized self states."

We think compartmentalization is nothing less than a form of insanity.

Take for example, the reaction by Reuters to the recent arrest by Israel of several senior Hamas leaders, particularly Aziz Dweik.  In a 369-word story about the detentions, Reuters correspondents Jihan Abdalla, Nidal al-Mughrabi, and Ori Lewis deferentially characterize the Hamasniks as "lawmakers" or "legislators" no fewer than six times.

Remember, members of Hamas are religious fanatics, driven by their totalitarian belief system to annihilate a country and murder every last Jew in the world.

In an interview with the Australian newspaper The Age in 2006, here's how Dweik responded to a question about the Palestinian terror war ("intifada") against the Jews of Israel during which over 1,000 people were savagely murdered:

"OK, yes, it happened, we did suicide attacks — but now there is a truce. We deplore any action where civilians are killed — yes, including Israeli civilians. We are a moderate Islamic movement. We are not terrorists. We are freedom seekers. Please, tell your readers, please help us secure this goal."

Even the sympathetic interviewer for the newspaper noted the compartmentalization:

In a conflict suffused with such great hatred, language can quickly lose meaning. There is a disconnect between the words and the deeds.
Dr Dweik is charming, articulate and passionate in a very non-threatening way. However, he can also countenance sending boys to their death in order to kill the innocent and can justify it with a cliched equation empty of any real meaning or insight.

As we stated at the top, the Palestinians and their acolytes at Reuters are, in a word, insane.