Hamas and Israel not Palestinians

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The October 7 Terrorist Attack

Early on Saturday morning, October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists broke through fencing along the Gaza/Israel border. While in Israel, Hamas terrorists murdered, raped, assaulted, and kidnapped Israeli men, women, and children.

It should be noted that Hamas launched the terrorist invasion during a religiously significant time for the Jewish people, which was during the Jewish Sabbath (Shabbat) at the end of a Jewish festival (Sukkot).

We deliberately use the word “terrorist” to identify those who invaded Israel because they are, by definition, terrorists. A “terrorist” is defined as 

“a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.”

That is precisely what Hamas did on October 7. They used unlawful violence and intimidation against civilians to achieve their desired political ends: the destruction of the State of Israel.

This is absolutely undeniable. A call for the extermination of the Jewish State of Israel is in Hamas’ founding charter. They don’t make any bones about it: their mission is to terminate the State of Israel.


Hamas vs. Palestinians

You’ll also notice that we've used the term “Hamas” instead of “Palestinians” in describing those who are at war with Israel.

The main problem is that Hamas is the government elected by the Palestinians in Gaza. And normally if a government of one country invades another, we don’t split hairs to point out that a government is separate from its people.

So, in normal circumstances, we would say that the Palestinians are at war with Israel. But in this case, we're saying Hamas is at war with Israel.

The reason we decided to do that is because Hamas undoubtedly terrorizes and intimidates its own people into “supporting” them, even if that support is against their personal interests and will. After all, it’s challenging to argue for the legitimacy of a government that is ruled by terrorist thugs.

But conversely, according to polls, 57% of Palestinians hold at least a somewhat favourable opinion of Hamas. At the same time, 50% of Palestinians agree that 

“Hamas should stop calling for Israel’s destruction and instead accept a permanent two-state solution based on the 1967 borders.”

So, as with many things in this conflict, it’s complicated.

Hamas is the official government of Palestinians living in Gaza, and they seem to have a slight majority support of the people — though at least some of that support is created through Hamas’ intimidation and violence against the Palestinian people.

Even so, half of Palestinians do not want to see an end to the State of Israel, which is in direct conflict with what the Hamas terrorists desire.

The Palestinian Authority is the governing authority of Gaza, not the Israeli government. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, and the first members of Hamas were elected in 2006. However, Hamas did not fully consolidate its governing power until 2007, when it staged a coup and overthrew a governing faction known as Fatah.

But now they are in complete control. Israel is not responsible for governing Gaza and has not been for nearly two decades now.




What Apartheid State? Hamas Governs Gaza, Not Israel

The Pro-Palestinian movement often misrepresents this political reality in Gaza. It’s Hamas who governs Gaza, not Israel. This alone disproves the claim that Israel is an “apartheid state.”

Apartheid means that a government racially segregates its own people. But this, as a matter of fact, is not happening in Gaza. Israel is simply not segregating anyone in Gaza because it is not politically in control of Gaza.

Some contend that Israel never really stopped occupying Gaza. We do not hold that view based on the reasons outlined above. However, we also want you to know that there are certainly those who make this argument. 

Almost immediately after gaining political power in Gaza, Hamas began attacking Israel. And it’s fair to say that this violence has never really ended since.

Since then, in a nutshell, Hamas has launched missiles into and terror attacks against Israel. Israel has responded by fighting back and initiating a blockade designed to prevent the smuggling of arms into Gaza.

It’s been ugly. It’s been tense. It’s been violent.

Yet, despite all this, Israel permitted more than 18,000 Gazans to work in Israel before the most recent war broke out between the parties. (Israel has since decided to expel these workers as the war between Gaza and Israel continues.)


Hamas is the Aggressor

Hamas is absolutely to blame for the problems in Israel today. We do not mean to imply Israel is perfect. They are not. No nation is. But Hamas is the aggressor. They are the terrorists, not Israel. They are engaged in ethnic cleansing, not Israel. They are killing innocent civilians — including women and children — not Israel.


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