The BBC reports that the cross-party Foreign Affairs Committee insists the government should ‘urgently consider’ talking to Hamas, and says it is ‘regrettable’ that UK-supplied arms were used during Operation Cast Lead.
Ridiculous. But what of the Hamas rockets that were fired into southern Israel for years? The chairman Michael Gapes said: ‘Rocket fire from Gaza by Hamas and other Palestinian groups on civilian targets in Israel is unacceptable.’
Well that’s a start. But why does Gapes consider it unacceptable?
‘It generates the risk of a renewed escalation in violence, and constitutes a central obstacle in the way of Israeli willingness to move forward towards a two-state settlement.’
Not so much concern then for the dead and terrorised civilians of southern Israel, more a worry about the possible diplomatic knock-on effect of the rockets.
The report ends with a typical ‘BBC moment’. Writing of Hamas, it says: ‘Designated a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and the EU, it is seen by its supporters as a legitimate fighting force defending Palestinians from a brutal military occupation.’
I’m all for balance but this is nothing of the sort, it’s just lunacy. Were the BBC website around in the 1940s, would it have said: ‘Designated a genocidal organisation by the Jews, the Nazis are seen by their supporters as a legitimate fighting force defending the world from the evil Jews.’
Seems that the BBC has embellished the Report – what a surprise. The Committee is just repeating what it said in 1007. It is not urging ‘talking to Hamas’. It is urging ‘talking to moderate elements within Hamas’. And there aren’t any – as the government seems to realise. But then the notion of separating the ‘political’ part of Hezbolla from the ‘military’ part was crazy, so who knows what the Government will do to court the Muslim vote in the May 2010 election …
The Report:
“We therefore reiterate our recommendation from 2007, that “the Government should urgently consider ways of engaging politically with moderate elements within Hamas as a way of encouraging it to meet the three Quartet principles.” We further recommend that in its response to this Report, the Government should set out the specific indicators, if any, that would trigger a shift of British Government policy towards engagement with Hamas. We further recommend that the Government should set out the relevant differences between the cases of Hezbollah and Hamas that lead it to conclude that engagement with moderate elements within Hamas is not currently worth attempting.”
Your last paragraph is spot on, it’s quite scary that some people don’t view Hamas as a terrorist organisation. That whole ‘never again’ thing is clearly BS. Did they say ‘never again’ with every suicide bombing?
I’m all for balance but this is nothing of the sort, it’s just lunacy. Were the BBC website around in the 1940s, would it have said: ‘Designated a genocidal organisation by the Jews, the Nazis are seen by their supporters as a legitimate fighting force defending the world from the evil Jews.’
erm, yes it probably would have!
Ah yes, the ‘moderate’ members of Hamas, just like the ‘moderate’ wing of the Taliban which strangely, seems to enjoy planting landmines to blow the limbs off British and US troops…
I agree: your last paragraph is spot on. It is with great sadness that I realised ‘never again’ was nothing but a slogan these days; as those who most need to remember that you can never negotiate with evil start to forget, the more we lose the battle for what is right (and possibly for survival).
Just to clarify, as well, here are some extract from the covenant / charter that ALL of Hamas has as its statement of aims and ideology:
Goals of HAMAS:
‘The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinguished Palestinian movement, whose allegiance is to Allah, and whose way of life is Islam. It strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.’ (Article 6)
On the Destruction of Israel:
‘Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.’ (Preamble)
Rejection of a Negotiated Peace Settlement:
‘[Peace] initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement… Those conferences are no more than a means to appoint the infidels as arbitrators in the lands of Islam… There is no solution for the Palestinian problem except by Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility.’ (Article 13)
Anti-Semitic Incitement:
‘The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: ‘O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.’ (Article 7)
‘The enemies have been scheming for a long time … and have accumulated huge and influential material wealth. With their money, they took control of the world media… With their money they stirred revolutions in various parts of the globe… They stood behind the
French Revolution, the Communist Revolution and most of the revolutions we hear about… With their money they formed secret organizations – such as the Freemasons, Rotary Clubs and the Lions – which are spreading around the world, in order to destroy societies and carry out Zionist interests… They stood behind World War I … and formed the League of Nations through which they could rule the world. They were behind World War II, through which they made huge financial gains… There is no war going on anywhere without them having their finger in it.’ (Article 22)
‘Zionism scheming has no end, and after Palestine, they will covet expansion from the Nile to the Euphrates River. When they have finished digesting the area on which they have laid their hand, they will look forward to more expansion. Their scheme has been laid out in the ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion’.’ (Article 32)
‘The HAMAS regards itself the spearhead and the vanguard of the circle of struggle against World Zionism… Islamic groups all over the Arab world should also do the same, since they are best equipped for their future role in the fight against the warmongering Jews.’
(Article 32)
monkeytrousers -well David Milliband seems to believe that there is a ‘moderate’ wing to the Taliban and he’s now urging the Afghan government to talk to them.
I must admit to not being entirely clear on what a ‘moderate’ terrorist is. Do they only use half the usual amount of explosives in their IEDs? Do they only engage in terror activities on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays? Surely if one becomes a moderate, the logical step would be to leave the Taliban or Hamas and set up one’s own (moderate) political party?