Hamas, Terrorists with an Agenda

by: Michael D. Evans

Hamas, the terrorist organization that occupies Gaza, is hard at work trying to convince the US Secretary of State that its name should not be on the list for Foreign Terrorist Organizations. In its attempt, numerous European Union countries have been contacted in an effort to bolster that endeavor. The purpose of Hamas and its leader, Khaled Mashaal, has always been to create an Islamic state in the territory awarded Israel by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948.

The fallacy in the proposal is that Hamas leaders have no intention of changing its fundamental policy as stated in its charter: The annihilation of Israel. Like its cousin, the Palestinian Authority, it wants all of the land on which the Jewish people reside. Nor are its chiefs willing to disarm, to stop the flow of tens of thousands of rockets and mortars from Iran into Gaza in order to achieve its goals. In other words, Hamas wants all the perks of removal from the terrorist list without paying the price.

It is incongruous that the ploy by Hamas to shed its terrorist label corresponds with Egyptian reports that the organization is now dabbling in terrorist attacks in that country. Those reports have been refuted, but the suggestion coincides with the infiltration of the Sinai by other terrorist groups—including al-Qaeda.

One Hamas official, Ghazi Hamad, indicated that the pressure to bring about a change of attitude among EU countries has had positive results in both the West and other Arab countries. It appears that on Wednesday, April 24, Hamas and Fatah, at least, buried the hatchet and announced plans for a joint government. US State Department head John Kerry seemed stunned by the announcement. Those who follow terrorist activities in the Middle East know that it would be easier for a leopard to change its spots than for Hamas and Fatah to recognize Israel’s right to exist, and suspend attacks against her. This is confirmed by the near-daily rocket attacks aimed at some area inside Israel.

According to a Washington Post report: Abbas made a revealing choice – rather than choosing peace with a democratic neighbor he decided to align with murderous, terrorist, Jihadist Islamists. Abbas celebrates the release of terrorists and luxuriates in the alliance with them.

Those who believe Mahmoud Abbas is a viable peace partner in negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government are sorely mistaken. Like his predecessor Yasser Arafat, Abbas has had ample opportunities to come to an agreement with his Israeli counterpart—opportunities which had been squandered by his refusal to disarm the terrorist factions within his territory and to recognize Israel’s right to exist.

Several arguments abound as to why the Palestinian Authority continues to reject any and all offers of a Palestinian State as did Yasser Arafat in 2000 and as Mahmoud Abbas has continued to do. Formal statehood would limit the ability of the PLO and Hamas in Gaza to commit acts of terrorism. This was a lesson learned when Gaza achieved pseudo-statehood. It became easier for Israel to retaliate when attacked. For the PA to achieve statehood would be a catastrophic move: It would lose the “victim” status which it has enjoyed for decades, and would lose sizeable donations from US, EU, and Arab backers. Would that those organizations, including the UN and Russia come to understand that the Palestinians do not want a state. It would rob them of the cover they now enjoy when it comes to terroristic acts against the Jewish people in Israel.

The question begs to be asked: How could any right-thinking EU leader, or for that matter the US Secretary of State, believe for a moment that Abbas and Hamas are willing to forgo the Jew-hatred that drives the terrorist organizations?