TheStar.com - If Hamas must renounce violence, so should Israel, says Linda McQuaig
Ottawa also made clear last week that Canada would withdraw financial support unless Hamas renounced violence, recognized Israel and accepted previous Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements. At first glance, this seems reasonable. But why are these demands placed only on Palestinians? Shouldn’t Israel also have to renounce violence? As the World Council of Churches recently argued: “If violence is incompatible with democracy and with peace, it is incompatible for both the Israeli and Palestinian authorities.” As for recognizing Israel, Hamas has implicitly indicated a willingness do this if Israel ends its occupation. Hamas official Khaled Mishaal told a Russian journal last week that Hamas would halt its armed struggle if Israel withdrew from Palestinian land it has occupied since 1967.
The writer of this article is obviously confused. Perhaps she should live in Israel for a couple of weeks and see the situation with her own eyes before writing such a reprehensible article.
Hamas is a terrorist organization. Their goal is to use violence such as suicide bombings, rocket attacks, or full fledged war in order to at try to completely destroy Israel.
This is not something talking can resolve. It is impossible to negotiate with these people. They believe in what they do.
Now why should Israel renounce violence? Should Israel just stand by and watch the palestinians come in and destroy them? Can Israel just stand by and watch as they are being attacked?
It’s not Israel on the offensive–at least for the most part. It’s the palestinians. But the awesome part is, Israel can not ever be destroyed, unless it be from the inside out.
And NO! Hamas has never had a willingness to halt it’s terrorist activity. They may have expressed such in order to deceive the west, just as their previous leader has lied to the west so consistently only to say something completely different to the palestinians and his friends.
Israel has the complete right to the land it is on right now, and even right to some of the land it’s not on. Much of it was won in a war the palestinians started. Why should the back down? To make some terrorists happy? I THINK NOT!
