London, Dublin (1/11 – 66)
Hamas is sheltered in a sea of civilians. Ostensibly a Palestinian political and military organization established in 1987, Hamas “governs” on the basis of having won a majority in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections – defeating Fatah, another Islamist terror combine – before forming a government in the Gaza Strip, described as “…the world’s largest open-air prison” for its Palestinian inhabitants.
So why don’t the Palestinians, having been robbed of their ancient lands, simply up and move somewhere else? It is telling that none of the Islamic nations surrounding Israel care to admit any more Palestinian settlers. Neither Egypt, Jordan or Syria will take them. Why is that? Because those nations are not fools: they understand that the bellicose, fractious Palestinians will bring them trouble, permanently.
A government is presumably supposed to “govern”. That presumably does not include torturing, maiming and killing those who voted for you. Acknowledged internationally as a terrorist organization, Hamas, cynically calling itself a “freedom fighter group” treats the average inhabitants of the west bank, Gaza and Lebanon as human meat shields.
It hides weapons among schoolchildren, deploys weapons from crowded areas, fires upon Israelis from trees and then melts back into crowds of noncombatants. Try and escape the war zone? Anyone now trying to flee the area is in danger of being murdered by Hamas and Hezbollah. Their “asymmetrical warfare” is not just wreaked on Israelis – they will torture and kill anyone not supporting their cause.
What cause is that? The Palestinians’ overt declaration, contained in the Hamas charter, is that Israel has no right to exist and must be destroyed. Its plainly-stated intention is to “wipe Israel off the map.” That is hardly a viable pre-condition for a serious negotiation to settle this ancient quarrel.
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” How do you negotiate with such fanatics? Well, by now it becomes clear that you do not. The reality is they don’t care about average people, Muslim, Jew or Christian. They are hell-bent on the elimination of Israel at all costs, regardless of what happens to everyone else living there, including fellow Arabs and Muslims.
The provocation of 7 October, killing 1400 in attendance at a “Peace Festival” (the irony thickens) and kidnapping several hundred more, should have opened the eyes of the world to the fact that there is a larger, well-organized pogrom funded and carried out by Jew-hating fanatics who could care less about the plight of Palestinians and don’t want any compromise when it comes to eliminating every last Jew and Christian from the Middle East.
Once Israel goes, you can bet the Christian minority in Middle Eastern countries will be next.
Proof?
Just ask the millions of Christians who were “ethnically cleansed” from lands that they inhabited for centuries. It happened after World War Two, when Arab nations expelled their Christian and Jewish minorities in retaliation for the establishment of Israel.
In fact, this is a war is between Western Enlightenment, represented by Israel, and 14th Century theocratic despotism, represented by the Islamic nations surrounding it.
And the west is being held hostage: just as Europe is being deindustrialized, companies going bankrupt, since the Americans blew up the Russian gas pipeline, the “good life in suburbia” of America, Canada and Australia is not viable without affordable oil. Arab oil.
Israel, meanwhile, has already installed over 600,000 settlers in the West Bank, in violation of international agreements. How about the Palestinians who are being chased into the desert by Israeli ( = American) firepower? The US and Israel will find 3rd countries to take them. The US will pay a couple of billion in “aid” to bribe them. Just like the US bribed Egypt to make peace with Israel.
And Hamas? A legally-recognized government?
It is said that people truly get the government they deserve. God, let’s hope that’s not so in this case.