Let me say moving into this diary that:
A. I am a supporter of the two state solution.
B. I am a supporter of an internationalized Jerusalem with religious rights and access guaranteed for all.
C. I think that the Palestinians for years have been used and abused in the middle by both sides - and with the ascension of Abbas seem to be showing that they are willing to come to the table to support Peace
That being said....
Now, here is the conundrum. Being a supporter of the Left, being Pro-Israel (Ma'arach), myself and a lot of other Americans are confused by the mainstream left's antipathy to the Israelis.
We as Americans and particularly members of the progressive community share much more with the Israelis than we do with the Palestinians and particularly with Hamas. I understand that most here are not fans of Hamas either - but rec'd calls for boycott, divestment, what have you for one side - but no criticsm of the other side smacks of something much deeper. Unhappy about Israel's incursion - that's fine but please add / show some understanding for why this tragedy is unfolding and the fact of the matter is that Hamas is equally unhappy with the idea of a truce. They did after all turn down UN requests as well as did the Israelis.
Hamas and for that matter the Palestian Liberation Movement has traditionally embraced a rather reactionary rightist platform if looked at in comparison to U.S. Progressives - Why do I say that (and this refers specifically to Hamas more so than Fatah)
- Gay rights - non existant
- Women's rights - certainly a certain respect within the strictures of Islam, but, compared to the west that is certainly not to standards with Western Oceanic / Euro standards.
- Separation of Church and State - Nope
- Education - teaching of science compared to religious dogma (and for the most part American schools do teach this way despite the occasional nutty school district so don't even go there).
- Cultural Awareness / Exchange. Things like Ne've Shalom = Israeli ideas. What is the Palestinian equivalent.
- Charter, Platforms etc. - One spells out genocide and complete destruction of a people. The other does not - can you guess which one does and which does not?
And these are just a few of the points to be made.
A lot of this would be enthusiastically agreed to by the American right but, for some reason they support Israel (maybe to hasten end of days......).
I ask in all seriousness, since Hamas and the PA generally represent a fairly rightwing socio-economic aspect compared to Israel and which despite some of the posting here is still a relatively leftist nation how does the Western Left support an obviously right wing movement?
Update: A previous poster gave me a great idea - one that would clarify things here. Say this were a group like the German Nazi's instead of Palestinian Hamas. Would those here be up in arms regarding German civilians and casualties?
Disclaimer: I do see similarities with the Nazi's and Hamas but, take the question for what it is and don't read into it more than it is meant.