One would think that some of the slogans and simplistic formulations tossed about by some of your readers in their Letters would have finally fallen into oblivion after recent events in Gaza and Israel.
One reader still speaks of “occupation” as if Israel were still in control of Gaza, forgetting or ignoring that Israel walked away in 2005. Any “occupation” of which Hamas complains is Israel’s presence at all as a Jewish state. Even if one might argue that Hamas in Gaza was fighting for the Arabs in the so-called West Bank, that’s just not true, as there has been no such suggestion, nor would Hamas limit itself to that area, having declared that its goal is the total destruction of Israel.
Another reader pleads for “easing the restrictions on the blockade” as a way of addressing the “root problems.” She has turned causation on its head, as the blockade of Gaza exists because of Hamas’ 2007 takeover and its rocketing of Israel, not vice versa. Time and again, terrorist acts have been perpetrated in the name of Allah by educated and well-off people. The “root problem” is religious fanaticism.
Such is the case with Hamas. Hamas is a fundamentalist Islamist group whose charter makes clear that it seeks to destroy Israel and replace it with an Islamic state. Hamas, similar to ISIS and Boko Haram, is “religiously” motivated. Its motivation against Israel does not arise from a blockade or closed borders. The only relationship is that an easing of the blockade or wholesale opening of borders would better enable Hamas to build tunnels, import weaponry and, in general, more dangerously wage war against Israel.
President of PRIMER-Connecticut (Promoting Responsibility in Middle East Reporting) Fairfield, Conn.
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