Imagine for a moment that you are the prime minister of what could very well be—in a few short months—a bona fides state recognized by the United Nations, the IMF and the World Bank. All the world's eyes are set upon your efforts to build strong institutions, invest wisely, and pursue a constructive policy with your neighbors, who have after all been a co-belligerent in a long, bloody war spanning over sixty years.

One crisp spring day, a villain of global notoriety is shot dead; a character who has not only murdered innocents of every creed, color and nation, but also annexed the cause of your people's statehood as a justification for the mass murder carried out by his apocalyptic cult. Regardless of whether or not the platform of your political party shared certain tenets of said villain’s ideology, might it appear politically expedient—whether or not humanity is your chief interest—to solemnly acknowledge the harm caused by such a figure? Would not this be the proper response?

It would be. But that is not how Ismail Haniyeh chose to respond to the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Instead, he chose to say something like this:

If this news is true, it comes as part of the US policy of killing, destruction and the shedding of Arab and Islamic blood.

Sorry, what was that, head of government soon-to-be-voted-legitimate-or-else-once again-damned-to-diplomatic-wilderness?

[Bin Laden] is a Muslim Mojahed.

Way to go, you absolute fucking shithead.

* * * UPDATE 6:28pm: Yep. * * *

As Ahmed Rashid has just said on BBC Radio 4, the death of bin Laden is in no way the death of al Qaeda. I don't think anyone celebrating in America actually expects this, but when a figurehead perishes there is a tendency to act as though his empire is soon to crumble as well. Al Qaeda will outlive bin Laden, that is for sure.

As far as we know, the recently departed has not been the actual head of operations for quite a long time, if only because of his efforts to avoid detection: If one gives orders day in and day out it becomes very easy for intelligence services to map the diffusion of one's word and scrap together a rough idea of one's whereabouts. The highest-level Qaeda member to be involved in the management of the main organization probably remains the Egyptian al-Zawahiri.

Now we will probably see some serious reprisals for the man's death in Pakistan, and probably Afghanistan. Maybe Europe, maybe the States. But definitely Pakistan.

All the same, we've been rid of a one-of-a-kind sociopathic holy warrior. Would've liked to see a trial, but a bullet in the head will have to do.