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| Hamas Leadership (Ha'aretz) |
What she says is that changes in a Hamas document show that there are some moderate voices in Hamas with respect to Israel. She apparently sees this as a hopeful sign. But let us examine both the final document (which is really all that matters) and the original version upon which she pins some hope.
The document which took four years to create and finalize is called the ‘Document of General Principles and Policies’. In it Hamas states what its goals are with respect to the State of Israel. Which include its rationale for those goals.
Here is the key paragraph from the document upon which she hangs her hopes (with the excised sentence in brackets):
[Anti-Semitism was a basic reason for the appearance of the Zionist movement] The Zionist movement, which was able with the help of Western powers to occupy Palestine, is the most dangerous form of colonial occupation which has already disappeared from much of the world and must disappear from Palestine.
The acknowledgement that some people in Hamas at least understand why Zionism was created gives her hope that there are moderate voices in Hamas. Perhaps they can be convinced to compromise on their ultimate goal to destroy the state. But that completely ignores the conclusion they seek even with that understanding. Which is the complete destruction of the state.
One does not need a document to understand why Israel cannot make peace with this people. Actions speak far louder than words. But in many ways I’m glad that they have come out with this document. There can be no mistake about their intention. Nothing has changed. They believe as they always have: Zionism is the most dangerous form of colonial occupation and MUST DISAPPEAR FROM PALESTINE!
Let us not fool ourselves and say that this kind of thinking is not mainstream in the Palestinian mind. Let us not be fooled by the PA leadership that speaks of a 2 state solution living side by side in peace and security. If only that were true. It doesn’t matter that many – perhaps even most Palestinians would prefer a solution like that so that they can get on with their lives. Even if they agree with Hamas in principle, most people are pragmatists. Not ideologues. So even though they would prefer the Hamas option they prefer peace more and might just be willing to settle on 2 states.
The problem is that the ideologues are the ones in control. And ideologues are the ones willing to sacrifice most to achieve their goals. And by ‘most’ I mean with their own lives, and the lives of their children if necessary. People with that kind of motivation will always succeed over those that just want to get on with their lives.
Hamas rules in Gaza.The truly devout Muslims see Hamas as more sympathetic to their religious perspective of the land which they see as theirs. It is not too hard to see that when a Muslim mother on the West Bank dances in the street and hands out candy to little children when one of her own children blows himself up for the cause. They support Hamas and their goals. Hamas is also more sympathetic to their plight. The PA on the other hand is seen as corrupt. Which they probably are.
But still, the more pragmatic Palestinians as represented by the Palestinian Authority (PA) were outvoted in the Gaza elections. The PA lost control and was chased out of Gaza by military means. From their base in Gaza, Hamas has ever since been doing whatever it can to kill innocent Jews. This scenario will no doubt be replayed if the West Bank is handed over to them should anyone be foolish enough to let that happen.
Does it matter a whit that someone in Hamas might understand that it was European antisemitism that caused the Zionist occupation if they see Zionism as so evil that it must be eradicated? An ‘understanding’ they have in any case deleted from their document entirely lest anyone have the slightest reservation about their intentions and ultimate goals.
And yet there are people that still believe peace is possible and that we should precede post haste in establishing the 2 state solution. Are they that blind? As things stand now, there is no possibility that any such compromise would succeed. It would instead endanger the people of Israel in ways not seen since the Holocaust.
Palestinians may not be Nazis whose intent was to annihilate the entire ‘Jewish race’ from the face of the earth. But the slaughter that would ensue if Hamas were to take control of a West Bank Palestinian state would not be a walk in the park for Israelis either. Jewish blood would flow unlike any time since then. God forbid!
Is there any sane person that believes otherwise? Does it make sense to hand over a state to a people whose strong men believe that Israel must disappear?
The claim by so many of those who are anti Israel is that they are not antisemitic. That is a complete lie! But that is what Hamas wants the world to believe. Unfortunately there are some people that might buy into that. But I think UN Secretary General has it right. From the JTA:
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres vowed to take action to end anti-Semitism and called the denial of Israel’s right to exist a modern form of anti-Jewish hatred.
Thank God Israel’s sitting Prime Minister sees that. He will not be fooled and neither should we. Until Hamas is destroyed there can be no peace.
