There is a lot of sympathy for Hamas here. I cannot grasp it. It is as if people choose to show their support the Palestinian people and opposition to Israel by embracing, or at the very least, showing sympathy towards a terrorist organization.
Wiki:
Created in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin of the Gaza wing of the Muslim Brotherhood at the beginning of the First Intifada, Hamas is perhaps best known outside the Palestinian territories for its suicide bombings and other attacks directed against civilians and Israeli military and security forces targets. Hamas' charter (written in 1988 and still in effect) calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and its replacement with a Palestinian Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Vehemently anti-Israel and, according to some, anti-Semitic, its charter states: "There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad." However, after coming to power, Hamas announced it was giving up suicide attacks and "offered a 10-year truce [with Israel] in return for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories: the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem."
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Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by Canada, the European Union,Israel, Japan, and the United States, and is banned in Jordan. Australia and the United Kingdom both list the militant wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, as a terrorist organization. According to the US State Department, the group is funded by Iran, Palestinian expatriates, and private benefactors in Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. In a 2002 report, Human Rights Watch stated that Hamas' leaders "should be held accountable for the war crimes and crimes against humanity" that have been committed by its members.
Here is a list of Hamas' terrorist attacks that we know of.
I understand some here may detest the State of Israel and view it as a terrorist organization as well. Indeed, you may view them as criminals for their occupation of the West Bank. But the answer to that is not to embrace Hamas. The answer to that is not to say "Hey, lets give Hamas a chance."
Yes, Hamas won a majority of the seats in the Palestinian legisture. So did Hitler's Nazi Party. Plenty of horrible people are elected throughout history. Their election changes nothing about them and nothing about how we should view them. It is irrelevant unless Hamas chooses to change itself and embrace nonviolence. They have not changed, and thus we should not change. Hamas, instead of wanting peace, has reiterated its demand for the destruction of Israel, as seen in the videos above. They have now engaged in the supreme undemocratic behavior: that of killing your political adversaries.
So my fellow Kossacks, if you advocate for the acceptance of a violent terrorist organization, you are no better than the Hamas and you endorse their crimes.
Violence is not the answer. As I said before, I long for the day when the Palestinians give up terrorism and violence as their chosen form of protest against the occupation, and embrace nonviolent protest.