Taking on Hamas

Well, well, well.

Only a week after I wrote about Gaza as a detestable spot on Earth, we now are hearing that some Palestinians are publicly challenging Hamas and accusing (rightly) the terror group of terrorizing the people.

They must read Israel Watch. KIDDING!

In all seriousness though, it is a brave thing that they have done, creating a social media site that highlights the horrible offenses of Hamas, a group formed in 1987.

(Not surprisingly, Hamas claims that the Palestinian Authority and Israel were behind the campaign.)

“The anti-Hamas campaign, titled ‘They Hijacked Gaza,’ came following a report by the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, which said that ‘about 1.5 million of the Gaza Strip’s total population of 2.3 million have become impoverished due to the Israeli blockade and restrictions imposed since 2006.’”

Think of that! What is really going on is that 2005 is the key year. The Israeli pullout from Gaza, under the direction of Ariel Sharon, left the Palestinian population vulnerable to Hamas, which moved in quickly and gained control via terror and thuggery. I would imagine it’s more than 1.5 million that have become impoverished. And remember, when Israel left the Strip, Palestinian thugs destroyed all the marvelous agricultural infrastructure developed over decades, not to mention other business interests.

Since 2005, poverty in the Gaza Strip has risen from 40 percent to a staggering 69 percent by last year. These anti-Hamas forces in Gaza have created their social media campaign in part to shed a light on the real culprits; they reject the idea that Israel has caused the problems. They point to the Hamas alliance with Iran and Iranian-backed terrorists.

The dissidents if you will point out that it isn’t Israel that imposes heavy taxes and other restrictions on the Palestinian population. Further, 60,000 young Palestinians have managed to get away and immigrate.

Hamas is killing its own people.

As with all totalitarian regimes, Hamas resorts to physical violence to suppress such critics, the latest one coming in 2019, when people were beaten or jailed for protesting. This is what’s really going on in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Jerusalem Post:

“Freelance photojournalist and activist Walid Mahmoud commented, ‘The Islamic movement [Hamas] has failed to manage the crises in Gaza. It has failed to create any solution for the residents of Gaza, and this is something no sane person can deny. Shouldn’t that resident be given the right to speak out and talk about his/her experience under Islamic rule?

“Bisan Issam, another Gaza resident, tweeted, ‘Fifteen years ago, two million people were kidnapped on the land of the Gaza Strip by the [Hamas] gang of Change and Reform [Hamas’s parliamentary electoral list in 2006]. The lives and dreams of an entire generation were lost, crushed by despair and lack of resourcefulness. They are now ready to endanger their lives to escape the constant death in Gaza.’”

What a poignant cry from people that have been imprisoned by their own leadership for more than 50 years. Although the situations are different, it reminds me of the global protests over government overreach.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com

Oh, Gaza!

Since the Israeli pullout from Gaza in 2005—that seems like 1,000 years ago—the Gaza Strip continues to be a festering wound. It is a hideous place, moreover for its residents that have been kept captive by Hamas.

It is very interesting to note that since Donald Trump’s landmark Middle East peace initiatives (based in reality vs. the delusions of the Deep State), other Middle East Arab nations have quietly taken on the responsibilities once shouldered almost exclusively by Israel.

Now comes word that Qatar is taking responsibility for the Palestinians, at least in terms of financial aid in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians have never been able to fend for themselves—although in fairness to the man on the street, the PLO leadership has stolen billions over the years. Mahmoud Abbas and many others have mansions while the people struggle. Typical tinpot dictators.

From the Meir Amit Center comes reports of tension and changing alliances in Gaza:

“While in the Gaza Strip, Mohammed al-Emadi, chairman of Qatar’s National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, signed an agreement with companies manufacturing and distributing electricity in the Gaza Strip. According to the agreement, Qatar will find the cost of providing electricity and gas to the Gaza Strip. Al-Emadi also announced Qatar was reducing the salaries paid to officials. Sources in the Gaza Strip warned of the negative consequences of lowering salaries.

In the Gaza Strip the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) organized a demonstration in support of the Houthis in Yemen. Demonstrators chanted their condemnation of Saudi Arabia and the United States. After the demonstration Hamas said in a statement that it did not meddle in other countries’ political matters, was not a party to the criticism in the Palestinian arena of Arab and Gulf States, and wanted good relations with all the Arab countries.

“On January 18, 2022, Mohammed al-Emadi, chairman of Qatar’s National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, headed a delegation that entered the Gaza Strip through the Erez Crossing for an official visit. It was his first visit since November 23, 2021 (Ma’an, January 18, 2022). He met with Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip and other senior Hamas figures (qudspress.com, January 19, 2022). ‘A knowledgeable source’ reported that al-Emadi told the Hamas political bureau the salaries of officials paid through the donations from Qatar would be lowered from $10 million a month to $3 million a month. According to the ‘source,’ the announcement was a surprise because it came only two months after Hamas had reached an agreement with Qatar regarding the payment of salaries. The ‘source’ warned of negative consequences if in the coming months salaries remained low (al-Ayam, January 19, 2022).”

I can’t help but fume over yet another bail-out for Gaza. Perhaps the people themselves could rise up and destroy Hamas. I have no idea how many active members of Hamas live in Gaza, but can it be enough to continue to suppress and oppress the people? Do the people themselves, the great majority, support Hamas, truly?

Until hearts and attitudes shift there, they will continue to threaten not only Israel, but the surrounding nations that have finally seen the folly in throwing Israel under the bus, while Palestinian leadership grows ever more vicious and unhinged.

The current regime in Washington, itself installed in a Third World-type coup, has made serious efforts for peace infinitely harder by reverting to psychotic, left-wing models (Oslo).

It is interesting to note however, that they have not been able to unwind the Abraham Accords, those alliances between Israel and other Arab nations. And one of the benefits to Israel is that (like NATO countries paying their fair share) other countries are quietly doing positive things.

An Egyptian security delegation is scheduled to arrive in the Gaza Strip for meetings with the leadership of Hamas and other organizations to discuss security issues. The delegation will be accompanied by a delegation of engineers who will focus on the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip.

Still, Iran and other bad actors will continue to cause trouble. A march was recently held, organized by groups with ties to Iran. Marchers threatened those other Gulf states that are trying to help ease tensions.

Because that’s what psychotic thugs do.

“Interviewed by al-Mayadeen TV, senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Zahar noted the similarity between the ‘aggression against Yemen and Israel’s [alleged] aggression against the Palestinians.’ He said the Gulf States would pay for their actions in Yemen and normalization of relations with Israel (al-Mayadeen, January 22, 2022).”

Hamas doesn’t care about “the people.” Hamas cares only about perpetuating a satanic religious fervor. It is a supernatural hatred, as old as time. It doesn’t help that weak international actors coddle these murderers.

Tor Wennesland, the special UN envoy to the Middle East “peace process” has stirred up the Palestinians in Gaza by saying he was “worried” by the eviction of certain families by the Israelis, in Jerusalem neighborhoods. He said it “raised the risk of escalation” and called on Israel to stop the policy (even though Jewish families too are subjected to removal an the demolishing of homes that do not have proper permits.

It looks like that unfortunately, the West Bank and Gaza will continue to suffer because of Palestinian leadership. It is a tragedy that the coup in Washington in 2020 has contributed so much to this.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com