South Africa’s Unconditional Support for Hamas

Back from an exhausting project in Cape Town and there’s lots going on – particularly today’s visit by PA President - or is it Chairman – (whatever the case, I think he is irrelevant now) Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas will be addressing parliament today.

And in trying to balance his support for all his friends from the amazing race, Thabo Mbeki made some interesting statements yesterday in support of Hamas.

Unconditional support for Hamas.

Cape Town - President Thabo Mbeki pledged on Thursday the "unconditional acceptance" of the legitimacy of the new Hamas-led Palestinian government, but urged the militant group to recognise Israel's right to exist.

Hamas must be included as a negotiation partner.

Mbeki said Hamas must be included as a negotiating partner in the peace process, despite the refusal by Israel and some Western governments to deal with the militant group, which is on the United States and European Union lists of terrorist organisations.

Yes – it’s despite Israel’s refusal – not despite the Hamas refusal to even recognise Israel’s existence, or to accept the Oslo agreements. But of course, who would ever dream of placing responsibilities on the Palestinians for anything.

A hefty does of narcissism…

"We are likely to make a meaningful contribution to the peace process through constructive engagement with all the people of Palestine, including Hamas," said Mbeki in reply to a question in parliament.

Contradictions

Mbeki told parliament: "Any intended engagement with Hamas must, in the first instance, be premised on the recognition and unconditional acceptance of the reality that the people of Palestine have freely and democratically elected Hamas to represent their interests."

Well President Mbeki, any intended engagement with the Palestinian Authority should, in the first instance, be premised on meeting with those elected officials BEFORE meeting with the losing officials. And yet it's Abbas who is visiting today.

The news24 article goes on to call Fatah the “moderate party”.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, of the moderate Fatah party, officially swore in the 24-member Hamas cabinet on Wednesday.

Being moderate relative to Hamas does not render them moderate in an absolute sense.

The al Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of the “moderate” Fatah announced on Sunday that they are planning to launch a new campaign of assault on Ashkelon, the Israeli city north of Gaza.

The engineering and military industries sections of Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades announced Sunday the start of a new military offensive against the Israeli city of Ashkelon, to be called "Volcano Fire."

Moderate indeed.

Comments

[BRETT CHATZ]

The misguided perception of Hamas as a partner in peace

In the days following the election of Hamas to victory in Gaza and the West Bank, the Reporter website ran several columns from ‘writers’ who despite not being content with the election of Hamas to victory were quite prepared from the sidelines to work with Hamas towards co-existence with Israel. The liberal and moderate views of these analysts were publicized by the online website to ‘sugar-coat’ the reality of the serpentine poison lurking beneath the surface. I believe now that another perspective is needed here to underpin how dire this situation really is and how wrong these misguided opinions really are.

When I submitted my article on the landslide victory of Hamas in the Palestinian territory through an unhindered and transparent democratic process, it was rejected by the Reporter. However it must be noted that what they (The Reporter) may not want to read is in fact what should be reported because elements of realism based on fact were involved. It must be noted again that the parallel to the South African democratic model with the ANC and the Hamas movement cannot be equated: this comes as somewhat of a shock to South Africans who witnessed a peaceful transition from a white-supremacist autocratic regime (purportedly a democracy to the minority) to a fully-fledged representative democracy. Even the Irish model, despite its many related religious similarities to the Palestinian/Israeli question cannot be compared. I am going to tell you why the election of Hamas is a catastrophic component to add to the volatile mix in the Middle-East.

The Balfour Declaration of November 2nd 1917 saw fit to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This was submitted and approved by the League of Nations in 1922. Scores of Jews migrated to Palestine in the 20’s and 30’s and rapidly began upsetting the balance between Jews and Arabs in the region. This led to revolts against the British who were trying to maintain a ‘happy-medium.’ The partition resolution of Palestine into both Jewish and Arab sections was endorsed by a vote of 33 to 13. It was supported by the United States and the Soviet Union. The British abstained. Many riots; revolts and losses of life on both sides ensued. The birth of the State of Israel took place in 1948 as a direct consequence of another milestone in the annals of history – the Holocaust. Six million Jews were annihilated by a fascist dictatorship under the deceit and cunning of the deranged Adolph Hitler and the National Socialist Democratic Workers Party – NAZI to everyone else. In the opinion of Adolph Hitler the societal ills following Germany’s calamitous collapse and defeat in WW1 and the ensuing Great Depression, were largely to blame on German weakness and the filthy Capitalist fat cats – the Jews. So they were rounded up in their millions, shot or gassed or worked to death. Those who escaped left loved ones behind, in the end millions died. Many non-Jews perished too. Following Germany’s defeat the embattled Jewish people had no way to pick up the pieces and the Zionist movement finally had the momentum it needed to fulfill the Jewish dream, to establish a state for their people in the holy land from whence they emerged. This was unanimously supported by the United Nations. Soon thereafter war was declared on the nascent state by all her neighbours – Israel triumphed. Wars followed in 67 and Israel triumphed. Bloodbath after bloodbath, from Syria to Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, the Jewish state sacrificed what little land there was for peace. Sinai was ceded to Egypt and so forth. Finally new peace treaties were made, and pre-67 borders seemed the way to go. Jordan and Egypt recognize the right of Israel to exist. Syria and Lebanon (Hezbollah) don’t. Iran doesn’t and Iraq has too many of her own problems at the moment to worry about Israel. Turkey is at peace with the Jewish state too. It appears that the fundamentalist regimes intent on the destruction of Israel (Iran; Syria; Lebanon and other middle-eastern regimes) are fully supportive of the Palestinians now with Hamas in charge. Now there is a conduit to funnel finances through to aid in the destruction of the Jewish state. These rogue nations now have a foot firmly planted on the ground from which to launch their pre-stated offensives. That is the reason that Hamas will never renounce what it calls the destruction of the State of Israel. Its politics is influenced from abroad by multi-billion dollar donors capable of realizing the macabre wishes of Hamas. Peace is not an option to Hamas – they are hell-bent on blood and iron and will never change. They don’t need European or American financing – they have middle-eastern financing to the tune of extortionary amounts if they need it. The proceeds from oil work just as well for Americans as they do for Arab nations. Israel will not be recognized by Hamas ever – neither will the rights of Jews in the Middle-East. We are not dealing with a partner in peace. We are dealing with the repercussions of the failure of Fatah to deliver; we are dealing with the failure of Israel under Sharon and others before him and Abu Masen and Fatah to reach an amicable solution; we are dealing with the failed road-map but most importantly we are dealing with the subjugation of the masses of impoverished Palestinian youths to the rabid indoctrination of radical Islamism. Blood and Iron. Hamas vows to continue their path of destruction into Israel and will not relent until a united Palestine under Jerusalem is formed. They cling more strongly than ever to their charter – calling for the destruction of Israel. The Jewish people have endured the worst that their enemies were capable of doing – and triumphed. Israel will not be pushed to the sea and Jerusalem will never be surrendered. That will never happen; under the present and unrevised Hamas Charter, there will never be peace.

[BRETT CHATZ]

IRAN'S SABRE RATTLING CONTINUES...

MIDDLE EAST SECURITY ON A KNIFE-EDGE
Iran has once again come under the spotlight of the international community’s scrutiny and condemnation. This time however, it is not only the uranium enrichment activities being conducted, but the continuing inflammatory sentiment being propagated by its leader, President Ahmadinejad. The comments made by the Iranian leader are well documented and fiercely anti-Semitic: “The existence of the Zionist regime is tantamount to an imposition of an unending and unrestrained threat so that none of the nations of Islamic countries of the region and beyond can feel secure from its threat.” This is but one of a myriad of anti-Israel statements made by the recognized and democratically elected head of state.
Add to these vitriolic statements President Ahmadinejad’s dogged determination to snub the international community by aggressively pursuing a nuclear enrichment program, and you have cause for alarm. Any leader of state who calls for the annihilation of another state and then continues to defy international recommendations is a ‘loose cannon.’ The world community must safeguard itself from rogue states with militant leadership. If he truly believes the Holocaust was a ‘myth’ then world outrage at Iran’s official position is not unfounded. It is this myth, he claims, which was perpetrated by Zionist sympathizers. Radical elements within the world continue to upset the delicate balance, a balance which can ill afford to be destabilized further.
A Nation of Survivors, known as Israel was founded through the Holocaust and officially established in the Middle East. This is undisputed and legally accepted by the world at large. The fact that Jews comprise less than a quarter percent of the world’s entire population ‘are a threat to the Islamic people’ is in essence merely delusional and unfounded rhetoric. Israel is the only truly functioning multi-party democracy in the region and while it has its problems, the Israeli electorate by and large is determined to see a peaceful transition to Palestinian self-determination in Palestinian territory. Israel has no desire to embark upon a program of mass expansion into the Islamic world and neither do they wish to see the destruction of any nation or religious entity.