For the sixty years of it's existence, Israel has actively pursued peace with neighboring countries. In point of fact, it is currently negotiating a two-state solution with the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. An elected president of Gaza, removed from power in a violent coup by Hamas1 in 2007, Abbas currently governs from the West Bank.
Then there is Hamas1. Funded by Iran, existing to spread a form of extremist Islam, and internationally regarded as a terrorist organization. It is fundamentally the same as Hezbollah or al Qaeda, and it is violently opposed to Israel's existence. It is also violently opposed to any peace settlement which would acknowledge Israel's existence.
While I certainly can't pretend to know everything about the Hamas1-Israeli conflict, I have spent an enormous amount of time researching it, and have done so prior to the current crisis.
And because I do understand how complex the ongoing issues in the middle east are, I hope to make at least this particular conflict a little more understandable to my readers. I've also included links to credible sources, including Human Rights Watch.
I do this because I feel that it is important, and that too much inaccurate information has been disseminated by the media, particularly the foreign press. The days of journalistic objectivity appear to be waning; everyone has an agenda, and unfortunately, we all pay the price because it is sometimes impossible to separate the facts from the fiction.
A very brief partial history of Hamas1 in the Gaza Strip
From 1994-2005 Hamas1 was responsible for the suicide bombings of Israeli civilians which resulted in approximately 500 civilian deaths in Israel, including several US citizens.
In 2002, Human Rights Watch stated that Hamas'1 leaders "should be held accountable for the war crimes and crimes against humanity" that have been committed by its members. [link] [from the HRW, questions & answers on the Hamas-Israeli conflict}
In 2005, Israel made a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, and evacuated all of it's settlements there, leaving the Gaza Strip completely under Palestinian rule2.
In 2006, although Hamas1 won a majority in parliamentary elections in Gaza, the moderate Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, remained in control there until June 2007, when Hamas1 seized control of the Gaza Strip via a very violent coup, ousting supporters of Palestinian President Abbas. At this time, Israel imposed a blockade. Bolding is mine.
“Israel imposed a partial blockade, but at all times ensured there were sufficient food and fuel shipments to avoid any humanitarian problems, and continued to treat sick and injured Gazans at Israeli hospitals. This led to the bizarre situation where Palestinian patients at Israeli hospitals had to be moved to the basement to protect them from Palestinian rockets.
At various times the blockade was tightened in response to rocket attacks, and Hamas never missed the opportunity to exaggerate the effect of this for maximum propaganda purposes, for example going so far as to cut power one day after Israel halted fuel shipments, even though there was enough fuel to run generators for a week.
At times Hamas itself caused shortages, either by attacking checkpoints or refusing to distribute fuel or other goods. Israel found itself in the unique situation of not only having to supply a neighbour that was constantly trying to murder its citizens but being roundly condemned whenever it didn't supply enough.” [link]
The Hamas'1 reaction to the blockade, as to everything, including peace talks, was to begin launching more and more rockets at Israel. Not surprising, considering that their charter documents include a statement that they will destroy Israel, and that in fact, they do not recognize Israel's existence. The rockets used at that time were very inaccurate, and could only be launched in to the Southern area of Israel; they were unable to reach the larger population centers. That fact, however, does not mean that Israelis were not harmed. They largely escaped death by rocket attack because of Israel's warning system, which gave them time to take cover. The warning system did not prevent Israelis from feeling terrorized (children were especially affected), just as you and I would be.
The timing behind Israel's attack on Gaza
Previously, the Qassam rocket attacks by Hamas1 on Israeli civilians were largely unsuccessful due to Israel's early warning system, and because they could not reach the large population centers, having a range of only 3 kilometers. However, the rockets now being deployed by Hamas, and targeting the Israeli civilian population, have a range of 8-10 kilometers, which means that they are much more likely to hit large population centers.
Because of this, the Israeli government is committed to ending these rocket attacks, 6300 of which they have endured since 2001. It is their responsibility to their citizens to protect them, as the US government would do under the same circumstances.
In closing, I sincerely hope that this article has been some help in increasing your understanding of the situation. I firmly believe that in the end, Israel will be shown to be in the right, and that if they are able to remove Hamas1, a two-state solution will be brokered with President Abbas, and peace in the area will finally be a real possiblitiy.
Image from Wikimedia Commons.
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1 Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by the US state department, and by the European Union. They are also noted by the state department as being funded by Iran.
2 The Israelis left behind fully functioning greenhouses and other infrastructure in order to enable the Palestinians to begin the establishment of a civil society. The Palestinians destroyed the infrastructure left behind by the Israelis, and Hamas began firing rockets at the Israelis posthaste.
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