A Tragic Pesach (Passover) Week

Pesach, the Festival of Freedom has turned into a tragedy for the victims of the suicide bomb blast that occurred near the old Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv on Monday 17th April 2006. Once again, Hamas and its bloodthirsty allies – Islamic Jihad, Al Aqsa Brigades and their violent ilk have proved their mettle in carrying out another cruel attack on innocent people! Hamas is accountable for this attack, as they had given their support verbally for this horrendous act! Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president had denounced this attack. This is a declaration of war against Israel. Mahmoud Abbas is powerless. He is the figurehead of the Hamas dominated Palestinian Authority. Abbas is a total anachronism – an example not seen anywhere else in the world. He is the president of a Hamas dominated Palestinian Authority, antagonistic to his worldview of making peace with Israel and his opposition to violence. He does not represent the majority in the Palestinian Authority or the Palestinian Electorate.


Negotiations with Mahmoud Abbas are a polemic exercise that will achieve no results. Mahmoud Abbas, after his election in January 2005, was ineffectual and weak when his Fatah party ruled Palestine. He was incapable in the past of halting violence. Now his status as leader is even weaker than it ever was. He is a write-off as a negotiating partner for peace. Once again, there is no partner with whom Israel can negotiate a viable peace agreement.

Hamas is harping on “the occupation” as an excuse to carry out violence against Israel. They see every form of violence and hate as legitimate in order to liberate the Palestinians from Israeli occupation. They are still not prepared to recognize Israel’s right to exist or negotiate a viable peace settlement with Israel. The same old scenarios of Palestinian suicide bombings will continue according to their spokespersons. They will continue to blame Israel for the violence that they perpetrate. There is this mindset amongst the Hamas Palestinian leadership of total commitment to Israel’s destruction.

Those countries in the world that open their doors to Hamas representatives to pay “state visits” are exacerbating the standpoint of Hamas towards Israel. The act of inviting this terror group to their countries in the hope of “moderating” Hamas’s non-compromising attitude is doomed to fail. The only thing that will be achieved will be the legitimization of Hamas in their respective countries. This will have a snowball effect and will encourage Hamas to carry out or support further violence against Israel using the pretext of “Palestinian suffering under the occupation”.

The use of the term “Palestinian suffering and the Israeli Army murdering innocent Palestinians”, as a pretext for carrying out this horrendous suicide bombings, is cynical! Hamas and allies do not value human life, not their own (the encouragement of suicide bombings and “martyrdom”) or those of anybody else. Hamas is not a liberation movement but a Nazi movement whose ideology is based on race and creed alone. Anybody who is a non-Moslem will be a subject of discrimination under the Hamas regime if he/she is bold enough to choose Palestine as a place to live. They will be treated as inferior, second-class citizens. Hamas, like the Nazis of Germany of 1933, were elected to power democratically.

If Hamas were to change its direction and climb down the “Tree of Hate” for Israel, Jews, and the U.S., show pragmatism of leadership, then there would be grounds for serious negotiations. The Palestinians deserve peace no less than Israel. The Palestinians have suffered from Israeli occupation with all its ramifications. The roadblocks and security fence that encroaches on Palestinian farmlands, causing great difficulties for Palestinians logistically, are the result of the constant Palestinian suicide attacks and terror against Israelis. Instead of laying down their arms and recognizing Israel’s right to exist, Hamas has adopted a policy of non-recognition, non-negotiation and glorification of violence against Israel. They are sowing the seeds of increased suffering for the Palestinian People who are in a crisis economically as it is. Hamas has formed an unholy axis with Iran under their notorious fascist leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinajad – the supporter of genocide against the Jews of Israel! Iran has pledged financial aid to Hamas. Israel has every right to defend herself against Hamas generated terror. It is unfortunate that innocent Palestinian lives (including those of children) are lost because of Israel Security Forces acting against Palestinian terror. Loss of innocent lives, whether Palestinian or Israeli, is unjustifiable. Contrary to Hamas and its terrorist allies whose purpose is to maim and kill as many innocent Israelis as possible, irrespective of whether they are Arab or Jew, this is not the aim of Israel’s Security Forces. Hamas makes cynical use of Palestinian lives to justify their support of murdering innocent people.

It is desirable for both sides to negotiate a permanent peace settlement so that the Palestinians achieve the establishment of an independent state living alongside Israel in peace, harmony and dignity. However, the way things are now, this goal will never be attainable until there is a change of attitudes on both sides towards reaching that goal. Both sides must come to terms with the other side’s existence and identity. Both sides must make bold decisions to stop the violence directed against one another and sit down at the negotiating table. Both sides owe a lot to future generations of Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in dignity, peace and understanding for one another.