Lock & Load

Hamas wants no peace

Amazing! Israel pulls out of one of the three occupied territories as a show of goodwill that almost tore its society apart. Any reasonable person would have seen the withdrawal from Gaza as a trial run for the eventual withdrawal from the remaining territories and – presuming they had a commitment to lasting peace in the region – would also commit to giving Israel the reassurances it seeks for just such a move.

But oh no, not Hamas. No, their first thought is to ship in truck loads of explosives into Gaza. Then, when through mishandling, one of these trucks blows up killing 26 and injuring 80 of their supporters, do they fess up? Nope. They blame Israel.

But, reports the BBC: The ruling Palestinian Fatah faction said it held Hamas responsible for the explosion at Friday's rally, when a truck carrying gunmen and home-made weapons blew up.

If anyone had any doubt that Hamas intended to cause mischief with these weapons, this fact was confirmed when they fired 21 rockets at Israeli towns from Gaza. Others in Gaza are trying to improve the region and inspire people to build for the future, but Hamas seem only interested in bringing on Armageddon. They are the flip-side of the mad Christian evangelists who want the same outcome.

Not to be left out, Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for firing 10 home-made rockets into Israel on Friday.

It is clear to me that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not interested in peace. They are not fighting for an end to the occupation; they’re fighting for the destruction of Israel. There is massive international support, including by the Israeli Left, for an end to the occupation. However, if Hamas and Islamic Jihad are unable to match goodwill with goodwill, why should Israel believe that pulling out of the other two occupied territories will bring peace and security?

I want to believe that it will, but I’d be lying if I said I was sure it would.

But there’s something else that needs to be unpacked – repeatedly. I say repeatedly because the only way to confront a lie that is repeated and repeated is to do the same with the truth.

Ken Livingstone says he understands Dr Qaradawi’s support for suicide bombing that targets Israeli civilians because while Israel had fighter jets and tanks, the Palestinians "only have their bodies" and no other way to "fight back".

So what’s with the truckloads of weapons and explosives? What’s with the rocket attacks? Only their bodies, Ken? It’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie! Anyone can see it’s a lie.

posted by Brett Lock @ 10:58 am