HAMAS is not a terrorist organization...

[burrow_owl]

To label HAMAS terrorist, is to shut the mind off to why they are popular and why they maintain a following. It is little more than shutting the mind down without actually thinking.

This is absurd. Hamas is clearly a terrorist organization. They also provide social services to Palestinians and they also run the PA.

 

[Alabaster]

That's not really relevant

Actually it is relevant, knowledge is always relevant.

for it's on the news all the time.

I’m calling your bluff. Prove it. If it is on the news all of the time, you should be able to find some show that provided more than a cursory explanation.

I’ve seen coverage on CNN and other US stations. A 2 minute segment can hardly provide education about what is a century of history.

Plus, you can look up their history on the net or find it in the library somewhere.

Again bluff called. Mention websites or books.

I put Hamas akin to Nazi Germany. Both have advocated the destruction of the Jewish people, though they both have different reasons to do so.

Your analogy lacks any real knowledge. Please provide a detailed comparison, because the two organizations are similar in only the most peripheral way.

I have spoken to Palestinians, and have read about the Arab Israeli Conflict. The documentary “50 Years War” is very good, as is David Shipler’s book, “Arab and Jew,” which won the Pulitzer, or less so Thomas Friedman’s “From Beirut to Jerusalem.”

Oddly enough almost all of the Palestinians I have met, which includes Christians, are almost always concerned about the things most people are. They want their children to have opportunities. They want jobs, and they want peace. They feel they are grossly mistreated by Israel, ignored by the West, and feel very alone in the world. Unfortunately they are not far from wrong.

 

[Yusuf Evans]

Actually it is relevant, knowledge is always relevant.

So unless you have experienced it, you cannot comment on it, yeah?

I’m calling your bluff. Prove it. If it is on the news all of the time, you should be able to find some show that provided more than a cursory explanation.

Two minute segments add up to allot of time over the course of history. In the past decade, the ongoing struggles between Israel and Palestine have gotten more and more attention. Until the Iraq War, most attention was focused on that particular part of the Middle East.

Again bluff called. Mention websites or books.

www.ask.com will give you all the websites you need.

The documentary “50 Years War” is very good, as is David Shipler’s book, “Arab and Jew,” which won the Pulitzer, or less so Thomas Friedman’s “From Beirut to Jerusalem.”

I haven't read the first two, but I have read the last.(On the Commandant's Reading List) I agree it's a very good book. I've heard good things about "50 Years War", so maybe I'll check it out.

Oddly enough almost all of the Palestinians I have met, which includes Christians, are almost always concerned about the things most people are. They want their children to have opportunities. They want jobs, and they want peace. They feel they are grossly mistreated by Israel, ignored by the West, and feel very alone in the world. Unfortunately they are not far from wrong.

Like I said in another thread, I empathize with the Palestinians. Unfortunately, until they can get their violent fanatical factions under control, the world will see Hamas as a bunch of thugs and nothing more. Israel needs to do more, I agree. However, the peace process needs to be maintained by both parties. The U.S. policy with Israel is close, closer than any other country in the world. I think we may be a little too close, but I'll let the experts determine what's appropriate and what's not.

 

[Gaston]

If Hamas is a terrorist organization then you've got a large amount of Palistinian terrorist supporters as Hamas were voted in democratically.

Then again, I could reasonably say the same about Repubicans and Dubya. No wait, American elections would have to be democratic to be able to draw comparisons to Hamas, sorry.


Gaston

 

[CCGirl]

In a recent thread HAMAS was referred to as a terrorist organization. This is not entirely correct. HAMAS is not necessarily a terrorist organization, it is far more complex than that. This is part of the problem in dealing with the Middle East, the dynamics are not appreciated or understood.

Well, from what I have read, HAMAS actually used money to help people, such as social services, clinics, mosques, schools, etc. The alternative was ongoing corruption and the status quo! I believe the new government should be given a chance by the International community. If we continue to shun HAMAS, as history has shown, we force people into the arms of the "enemy". It will be interesting to see how things develop, IF that is allowed to happen.

Today, Hamas operates primarily out of the occupied territories (Gaza Strip and the West Bank), Israel and Jordan. Hamas is divided into two separate wings, the political wing and the more well known military wing, Kata-ib Izzidin Qassam (the Izzidin Qassam Brigade, named after a prominent Islamist who fought the British during the 1936-39 uprising).

While Hamas is known primarily for its militant activities, it does carry out other tasks. It operates mosques, schools, clinics, and a number of social programs.

Hamas' long-term goal is to establish an Islamic state on land originally mandated as Palestine – land that has been contained within Israel's border since its creation in 1948. Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a former Hamas leader killed by Israel in 2004, once said that the group's aim is to wipe Israel from the map.

This destroys the myth that this is HAMAS's absolute goal, whereas it has been shown it was once said by a leader, who was assasinated by Israel.

more.....

Checkpoint was an excellent film shot at some of the many checkpoints Palestinians and Israelis are forced to live with.

 

[Fares]

In a recent thread HAMAS was referred to as a terrorist organization. This is not entirely correct. HAMAS is not necessarily a terrorist organization, it is far more complex than that. This is part of the problem in dealing with the Middle East, the dynamics are not appreciated or understood.

Have you ever been in a terrorist attack ?
I was in 2 . I live in Jerusalem .
Hamas is a terrorist group . End of story .
Are you an ex-muslim or ex-christian ?

 

[CCGirl]

Have you ever been in a terrorist attack ?
I was in 2 . I live in Jerusalem .
Hamas is a terrorist group . End of story .
Are you an ex-muslim or ex-christian ?

Terrorist....freedom fighter....same thing.

 

[burrow_owl]

Actually it is relevant, knowledge is always relevant.

The person that witnesses Hamas blow up a bus of Israelis and the person that reads about it both can truthfully say, "Hamas is a terrorist organization." The statement is not made more true by dint of witnessing the explosion or sticking one's finger in the wound.

Oddly enough almost all of the Palestinians I have met, which includes Christians, are almost always concerned about the things most people are. They want their children to have opportunities. ...

As Kal points out, they hurt their cause by their methods.

 

[k]

Actually Doctrine1st is correct. HAMAS has a terrorism division, so to speak, I do not know exactly what their organizational structure is, but also social divisions.

Doctors that work at clinics that provide free or cheap medical care are not terrorists. Teachers who provide educational services to those who would not otherwise receive it are not terrorists.

When someone claims that Palestinians are electing terrorists, they are missing almost everything. Palestinians are electing the people that seem to care about them, not terrorism.

These are good points but the MSM says they are electing terrorists because we are told so, and many believe it w/o working to understand the deeper implications and nuances.

 

[k]

Have you ever been in a terrorist attack ?
I was in 2 . I live in Jerusalem .
Hamas is a terrorist group . End of story .
Are you an ex-muslim or ex-christian ?

....and Pal. says Israel is a terrorist group...and 'round and 'round we go.

Praise God you were not hurt in those attacks.