The current press reports about the conflict in the Gaza strip have got me upset. Everyone is complaining about civilian casualties inflicted by the Israeli forces. Now certainly, there really are some of these. But it seems that no one wants to point out why Israel is taking these steps.
If the USA had been subjected to over 3000 rockets fired into its territory in last two years by an organization that had specifically stated that they wish to kill every person in the country, the response would have been dramatic. I seriously doubt that anyone in the US would be calling for negotiations; rather we would have seen an outpouring of ‘wipe these rascals out’ – and do it now, and to hell with ‘collateral damage’.
The Hamas have been in control of the Gaza strip since the elections of 2006. Since that time they have waged an internal civil war to wipe out all their political opponents, removing all members of the Fatah from political positions, enforcing censorship on newspapers, denying any public assembly of Fatah supporters, and have used hospitals and universities as staging grounds for carrying out attacks on the Fatah. They are known to be smuggling in weapons through vast tunnel complexes, something that the Israelis have consistently targeted. They have refused to honor any agreements with any of the other governments involved, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian Authority. It appears that much of their current funding and training comes from Iran. And all during their internal conflict with the Fatah, they have kept a continuous stream of rocket attacks into southern Israel.
No matter how I look at it, the Hamas appear to me to be a militant, religiously fanatic and intolerant bunch of terrorists. The are not deserving of my sympathy. Non-Hamas who are being injured or killed by this conflict are certainly regrettable, but to my way of thinking the best way these civilians can protect themselves is to get rid of these Hamas hooligans themselves. The Hamas cannot remain in power if the population of the area refuses to support them. As long as they do, they must bear the consequences of that support, as they themselves are at least partially culpable for the current mess.
Hyperpat\'s HyperDay 