Monday, July 21, 2014

The Hamas Charter-Why Peace Between Hamas and Israel is an Impossibility

Hat tip Middle East Forum and Jerusalem Fund


As fools like John Kerry and Ban Ki Moon frantically search for a cease fire between the Israelis and Hamas, it is vital that everyone understands where Hamas (the government of Gaza) is coming from.

First of all, Hamas is designated by the US State Department as a terrorist organization. By law, we (the US) are not supposed to deal with them. Secondly, one needs to examine the Hamas Charter, which the late journalist Helen Thomas notably failed to do while she was alive and condemning the Israelis. In Article 7, they quote what is called, "the Hadith of Hate", which tells of how on the Day of Judgment the Jew will hide behind the trees and rocks, which will call out to the Muslim, "Oh Muslim. There is a Jew hiding hiding behind me. Come and kill him."

The Hadith comes from the traditions and sayings of the Prophet Mohammad. Indeed, as in many other parts of the charter, there is language steeped in Islamic religion. In addition, it is clear from the charter that it is not just Israel or Zionism that Hamas hates, but Jewish people themselves. There is also a statement that negotiation is useless. In short, the intent of Hamas is not a two state solution, but the complete destruction of Israel and the murder of every Jew therein.

But don't take my word. Read it for yourself.

http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/www.thejerusalemfund.org/carryover/documents/charter.html?chocaid=397

So just what is it that Messers Kerry and Moon hope to achieve by a cease fire? It is called kicking the can down the road, to use an American expression. A cease fire will stop the fighting and revert back to the status quo for awhile until Hamas starts lobbing rockets into Israel again, and we begin the process all over. In the meantime, hopefully, folks like Kerry and Ban Ki Moon can earn Nobel Peace Prizes even though they have not solved the long term problems.

It is important to note that if Hamas feels it is getting its butt kicked, they might agree to such a deal. This in Islamic ideology is called a hudna- a strategic treaty that is allowed when at a disadvantage against the enemy. Such agreements can be made until such time as the Islamic forces gain strategic advantage, at which time, the truce may be broken. The long range goal is unaltered.

What all this means is is that Hamas ultimately must be removed from the equation. They are the most intransigent of actors in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Not that the folks in the West Bank are much better. Under Mahmoud Abbas, they profess a willingness to negotiate, but what does it mean when they have just had a reconciliation with Hamas and accepted them into their fold? What does it mean when Abbas says that if the West Bank becomes a Palestinian state, there will not be one Jew allowed to reside there? What does it mean when TV shows in the West Bank-including children's shows- depict Jews as evil incarnate and the off-spring of monkeys and pigs? Their hatred for Israel and the Jews is just as fanatical as that of Hamas in Gaza. The only difference is that Hamas is more open about it.

It all means that any truce, cease fire, or two-state peace deal will be for the Palestinians merely a hudna- a strategic step toward the eventual goal of destroying Israel and killing every last Jew who remains. There is no solution for the Israelis other than destroying the most extreme forces-like Hamas- and remaining so strong that they cannot be defeated militarily.


1 comment:

  1. Peace with Hamas is a possibility only when Hamas is convinced it can't win -- and Hamas seems to need a lot of convincing.

    But, if Israel had settled things with the Palestinians ten years ago, Hamas would be weaking, twenty years ago, Hamas would never have been in control of any territory.

    Peace still requires bypassing Hamas, and getting things settled, so nobody will see Hamas as the way to go.

    Meantime, if Israel is not able to wipe out Hamas, root and branch, and it may not, then a cease fire and patched together peace for the time being may be in Israel's interest. As William F. Buckley Jr. pointed out to a clueless S.I. Hayakawa, you don't compromise from a position of strength, you compromise when you can't get all you wanted.

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