Do Peace Activists Support Hamas?
Abigail Adams
January 09, 2009
On December 27, 2008 the Israeli Air Force launched Operation Cast Lead, a massive air-strike on over 100 targets linked to Hamas, and other terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip. On the 1st day of the operation, over 100 tons of explosives were dropped on a territory that totals 139 sq miles, and houses a population of over 1,300,000. The casualties continue to rise, as Israeli officials warn of a protracted military campaign.
I have been following the reports, and commentary on Israelīs latest military operation as both a detached analyst unsurprised by Israelīs use of force, and a human rights advocate horrified by the war erupting in a land that is, regardless of religious tradition, sacred. I would like nothing more than to see an end to violence in all its forms, and an honest reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian people, so that there may be a true peace.
However, I feel that the dream of a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will never be realized. I do not feel this way because of the over 100 tons of explosives the Israeli Air Force dropped on a densely populated area on the 1st day of air-strikes, which have continued for over a week, and evolved into a ground invasion. More than any other factor, I feel this way because of how social justice activists, and progressives in the western world, those who claim to champion peace, and democracy, have responded to the situation.
Media coverage of Operation Cast Lead is focused on the sensational elements of war. In over a week of reports, the media has done little to educate news consumers about the tense political and security situation that preceded the eruption of the conflict. The blame placed on Hamas by the George W. Bush administration, and the steady stream of images of destruction, and carnage broadcast from the Gaza Strip has solidified Israel as the aggressor in popular opinion. The Arab League is shaping diplomatic discourse on the Israeli offensive by pushing the U.N. to condemn it.
The Israeli offensive, however, should come as no surprise to those who have followed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since it was referred to as the Arab-Israeli conflict, or are familiar with Hamasī rise to power, and their ideology, and military activity. The scale and timing of Israelīs military campaign may have caught Hamas activists off-guard, however, Hamas activists understand that military action is Israelīs primary response to terrorist activity, and were well-aware that its continued rocket fire would subject the Gaza Strip to an Israeli military operation.
International diplomatic response to Israelīs use of force has been overshadowed by protests that have erupted throughout the world. In Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, Jordan, and Egypt tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets shouting slogans such as "death to Israel", and burning U.S. and Israeli flags. In Yemen, violent protesters targeted Jewish citizens, and attacked their homes. The Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, and Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have had prominent roles in organizing the protests.
Activists in the western world have, also, mobilized in opposition to the Israeli offensive, and tens of thousands have gathered for protests across the U.S. and Europe. The protests in the western world are conducted under the banner of peace, however, these protests solely condemn Israel for its attack on Hamas targets. There is no call for Hamas, and other militant Palestinian factions to lay down their arms. By doing this, are peace activists in the west supporting peace, or are these protests supporting the political objectives of regimes and organizations that have declared war against western democracy?
I have been exposed to a lot of the information, and many of the petitions, and calls to action regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict produced, and distributed by the social justice network of the "left". The rhetoric describing the conflict has always been extreme, divisive, and inundated with propaganda that advocates for the destruction of the Jewish state. The slogan īend the occupationī is just one of the many examples of how protesters in the western world are unknowingly protesting Israelīs existence.
In the west, protesters have adopted īend the occupationī as their mantra with a popular assumption that Israelīs occupation is of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. However, to many in the Arab world the Zionist occupation is not limited to the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, but extends to the entire state of Israel, which many feel was wrongly created on Arab land. Peace activists who publicly protest for an īend to the occupationī provide a great deal of support to those that protest Israelīs right to exist.
I have never seen any material produced by the "left", or any action taken, that has questioned the Palestinian leadership, or condemned Palestinian factions for their use of violence. I have heard no mention from the "left" that the Palestinian Authority was riddled with corruption, or that Palestinian security forces, controlled by both Fatah and Hamas, were responsible for gruesome human rights abuses against the Palestinian population. I have, however, witnessed "left-wing" activists defend Palestinians who resort to violence against Israelis, and then blame Israel for it.
Peace activists in the western world are once again blindly condemning Israel, and calling for an end to Operation Cast Lead while putting no pressure on Hamas, and other terrorist organizations to stop their use of force, or pressure on Arab nations hostile to Israel to halt their military build-up, and war rhetoric. Protestors donīt seem to realize that by demanding Israel be stripped of its ability to use military force without demanding the same from Israelīs adversaries, Israeli citizens become vulnerable to military assaults on a number of different fronts. I am not sure what the objectives are of the protests to Operation Cast Lead in the western world, but it is very clear that these protests in no way contribute to peace.
I have been following the reports, and commentary on Israelīs latest military operation as both a detached analyst unsurprised by Israelīs use of force, and a human rights advocate horrified by the war erupting in a land that is, regardless of religious tradition, sacred. I would like nothing more than to see an end to violence in all its forms, and an honest reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian people, so that there may be a true peace.
However, I feel that the dream of a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will never be realized. I do not feel this way because of the over 100 tons of explosives the Israeli Air Force dropped on a densely populated area on the 1st day of air-strikes, which have continued for over a week, and evolved into a ground invasion. More than any other factor, I feel this way because of how social justice activists, and progressives in the western world, those who claim to champion peace, and democracy, have responded to the situation.
Media coverage of Operation Cast Lead is focused on the sensational elements of war. In over a week of reports, the media has done little to educate news consumers about the tense political and security situation that preceded the eruption of the conflict. The blame placed on Hamas by the George W. Bush administration, and the steady stream of images of destruction, and carnage broadcast from the Gaza Strip has solidified Israel as the aggressor in popular opinion. The Arab League is shaping diplomatic discourse on the Israeli offensive by pushing the U.N. to condemn it.
The Israeli offensive, however, should come as no surprise to those who have followed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since it was referred to as the Arab-Israeli conflict, or are familiar with Hamasī rise to power, and their ideology, and military activity. The scale and timing of Israelīs military campaign may have caught Hamas activists off-guard, however, Hamas activists understand that military action is Israelīs primary response to terrorist activity, and were well-aware that its continued rocket fire would subject the Gaza Strip to an Israeli military operation.
International diplomatic response to Israelīs use of force has been overshadowed by protests that have erupted throughout the world. In Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, Jordan, and Egypt tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets shouting slogans such as "death to Israel", and burning U.S. and Israeli flags. In Yemen, violent protesters targeted Jewish citizens, and attacked their homes. The Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, and Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have had prominent roles in organizing the protests.
Activists in the western world have, also, mobilized in opposition to the Israeli offensive, and tens of thousands have gathered for protests across the U.S. and Europe. The protests in the western world are conducted under the banner of peace, however, these protests solely condemn Israel for its attack on Hamas targets. There is no call for Hamas, and other militant Palestinian factions to lay down their arms. By doing this, are peace activists in the west supporting peace, or are these protests supporting the political objectives of regimes and organizations that have declared war against western democracy?
I have been exposed to a lot of the information, and many of the petitions, and calls to action regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict produced, and distributed by the social justice network of the "left". The rhetoric describing the conflict has always been extreme, divisive, and inundated with propaganda that advocates for the destruction of the Jewish state. The slogan īend the occupationī is just one of the many examples of how protesters in the western world are unknowingly protesting Israelīs existence.
In the west, protesters have adopted īend the occupationī as their mantra with a popular assumption that Israelīs occupation is of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. However, to many in the Arab world the Zionist occupation is not limited to the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, but extends to the entire state of Israel, which many feel was wrongly created on Arab land. Peace activists who publicly protest for an īend to the occupationī provide a great deal of support to those that protest Israelīs right to exist.
I have never seen any material produced by the "left", or any action taken, that has questioned the Palestinian leadership, or condemned Palestinian factions for their use of violence. I have heard no mention from the "left" that the Palestinian Authority was riddled with corruption, or that Palestinian security forces, controlled by both Fatah and Hamas, were responsible for gruesome human rights abuses against the Palestinian population. I have, however, witnessed "left-wing" activists defend Palestinians who resort to violence against Israelis, and then blame Israel for it.
Peace activists in the western world are once again blindly condemning Israel, and calling for an end to Operation Cast Lead while putting no pressure on Hamas, and other terrorist organizations to stop their use of force, or pressure on Arab nations hostile to Israel to halt their military build-up, and war rhetoric. Protestors donīt seem to realize that by demanding Israel be stripped of its ability to use military force without demanding the same from Israelīs adversaries, Israeli citizens become vulnerable to military assaults on a number of different fronts. I am not sure what the objectives are of the protests to Operation Cast Lead in the western world, but it is very clear that these protests in no way contribute to peace.
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