Hamas was formed in 1987 as resistance against Israel. The only reason Israel (not just Netanyahu) helped fund Hamas was to prevent Fatah from coming to power and creating unity. Fatah betrayed the Palestinian people (in many ways) and lost the elections in BOTH the West Bank AND Gaza during 2006-2007. Hamas won in both the places. That's when the fight between Hamas and Fatah intensified.
Netanyahu thought that by funding/supporting Hamas he (and Israel) could keep the Palestinian people divided - but it backfired. Hamas stuck to their principles of RESISTANCE, bided their time, and took whatever opportunities presented themselves to strike back at Israel.
How long do you think that these actions have been planned ?.
OK, an easy one, when did the West (US) get involved in Ukraine for instance... WELL the CIA started funding, training and supplying their military in 1995, not 2014 when they finally did the coup ....so how long before 1995, were plans made and funds / military equipment "made available" ??....Oh wait!.... look at the date = https://lefteast.org/ukraine-agrees-to-monsanto-land-grab-for-17-billion-imf-loan/
Just the same regards here .. when was O%G first found off the coast (and on land) of Palestine ?.....
Israel ALWAYS wanted to ethnic-cleanse the Palestinians from before 1948 - and took advantage of whatever opportunities presented themselves to do so for over 75+ years.
Every attempt at resistance by the Palestinians was framed as "terrorism", etc. - giving Israel a false pretext to "play the victim" and further bomb and terrorize the Palestinians.
Again, you seriously need to read up on Israel and Palestine. Here are some good books (mostly written by Jewish authors and historians) that people can read to learn the history and understand the conflict better ->
(1) "Ten Myths About Israel" by Ilan Pappe
(2) "Gaza: An Inquest Into its Martyrdom" by Norman G. Finkelstein
(3) "The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017" by Rashid Khalidi
(4) "On Palestine" AND "Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on Israel’s War Against the Palestinians" by Noam Chomsky & Ilan Pappe
(5) "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine" by Ilan Pappe
(6) "The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood" by Rashid Khalidi
(7) "Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance" by Tareq Baconi
(8) "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" by John Mearsheimer & Stephen M. Walt
(9) "The Invention of the Jewish People" by Shlomo Sand
(10) "The Question of Palestine" by Edward W. Said
(11) "My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel" by Ari Shavit
(12) "The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew and the Heart of the Middle East" by Sandy Tolan
(13) "The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World" by Antony Loewenstein
(14) "The Punishment of Gaza" by Gideon Levy
(15) "Cracks in The Wall: Beyond Apartheid in Palestine/Israel" by Ben White
(16) "The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering" by Norman G. Finkelstein
(17) "The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World" by Avi Shlaim
(18) "The Invention of the Land of Israel: From Holy Land to Homeland" by Shlomo Sand
(19) "Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine" by Noura Erakat
(20) "The Wretched of the Earth" by Frantz Fanon
(21) "The Colonizer and the Colonized" by Albert Memmi
(22) "The Iron Wall: Zionist Revisionism From Jabotinsky to Shamir" by Lenni Brenner
(23) "God's Country: Christian Zionism in America" by Samuel Goldman
(24) "The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine" by Miko Peled
(25) "The Pro-Israel Lobby in Europe: The Politics of Religion and Christian Zionism in the European Union" by Elvira King
Bob, the article is a furphy. Ukraine has for decades lost any claim to being "pristine" and the breadbasket of Europe. It's the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster FFS!
Excellent Chang. The West Bank became a "Bantustan" and the unelected Mahmoud Abbas a mere Israeli puppet who suppressed and contained any resistance by his people - for Israel.
Netanyahu and Israel didn't fund Hamas but let Qatar send in the money.
»”Netanyahu and Israel didn't fund Hamas but let Qatar send in the money.”
Netanyahu and Israel funded Hamas through Qatar (and others). It’s quite easy to obfuscate financial transactions (as evidenced by the Panama Papers, world-wide money laundering, shell-corporations, and many other strategies).
Qatar doesn’t have a reason to fund Hamas out of the “goodness of their hearts”. It’s important to understand that Qatar is NOT on the side of the Palestinians (just as most Arab countries are not on Palestine’s side - with the exception of Yemen, Lebanon, and Syria. Iran is Persian, hence in a different category - but Iran’s history is complex - and it has played both sides)
The IDF are fighting THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. Hamas is the excuse for this "always-planned" ethnic cleansing (or Genocide if it came to that - which it has).
Please read some of Caitlin's articles, since you still seem to be under the influence of FALSE NARRATIVES that "this is a war on Hamas". NO!!! This is an Israeli (and U.S.) Genocide and ethnic cleansing on ALL PALESTINIANS (starting with Gaza, and now slowing expanding to the West Bank - where there is NO Hamas). It's already expanded to Lebanon and Syria.
Maybe we are making similar points, but I don't necessarily agree with your framing of "Hamas is a useful tool" (for many reasons).
I can say, the American people are useful tools as the 1% can use divide and conquer strategies to keep them fighting with each other instead of against the 1%. Or I can say that "immigrants are a useful tool" to create moral panics and make people focus on that INSTEAD of how the 'power elite' are oppressing and exploiting working people. Or I can say that ALL Democrats are "useful tools" for the Republican congress or ALL Republicans are "useful tools" used by the Democrats in congress. You get the idea.
I have an issue with the wording (and connotation) of "Hamas is a useful tool".
>>"Hamas is a tool to further the destruction of Palestinians"
NO! Apparently, you may not have enough of an understanding of Hamas and its history.
Please read "Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance" by Tareq Baconi (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35793669-hamas-contained) to understand the dynamics better.
Hamas was formed in 1987 as resistance against Israel. The only reason Israel (not just Netanyahu) helped fund Hamas was to prevent Fatah from coming to power and creating unity. Fatah betrayed the Palestinian people (in many ways) and lost the elections in BOTH the West Bank AND Gaza during 2006-2007. Hamas won in both the places. That's when the fight between Hamas and Fatah intensified.
Netanyahu thought that by funding/supporting Hamas he (and Israel) could keep the Palestinian people divided - but it backfired. Hamas stuck to their principles of RESISTANCE, bided their time, and took whatever opportunities presented themselves to strike back at Israel.
Hamas is not the tool - Netanyahu is the TOOL!
How long do you think that these actions have been planned ?.
OK, an easy one, when did the West (US) get involved in Ukraine for instance... WELL the CIA started funding, training and supplying their military in 1995, not 2014 when they finally did the coup ....so how long before 1995, were plans made and funds / military equipment "made available" ??....Oh wait!.... look at the date = https://lefteast.org/ukraine-agrees-to-monsanto-land-grab-for-17-billion-imf-loan/
Just the same regards here .. when was O%G first found off the coast (and on land) of Palestine ?.....
Israel ALWAYS wanted to ethnic-cleanse the Palestinians from before 1948 - and took advantage of whatever opportunities presented themselves to do so for over 75+ years.
Every attempt at resistance by the Palestinians was framed as "terrorism", etc. - giving Israel a false pretext to "play the victim" and further bomb and terrorize the Palestinians.
Again, you seriously need to read up on Israel and Palestine. Here are some good books (mostly written by Jewish authors and historians) that people can read to learn the history and understand the conflict better ->
(1) "Ten Myths About Israel" by Ilan Pappe
(2) "Gaza: An Inquest Into its Martyrdom" by Norman G. Finkelstein
(3) "The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017" by Rashid Khalidi
(4) "On Palestine" AND "Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on Israel’s War Against the Palestinians" by Noam Chomsky & Ilan Pappe
(5) "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine" by Ilan Pappe
(6) "The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood" by Rashid Khalidi
(7) "Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance" by Tareq Baconi
(8) "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" by John Mearsheimer & Stephen M. Walt
(9) "The Invention of the Jewish People" by Shlomo Sand
(10) "The Question of Palestine" by Edward W. Said
(11) "My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel" by Ari Shavit
(12) "The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew and the Heart of the Middle East" by Sandy Tolan
(13) "The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World" by Antony Loewenstein
(14) "The Punishment of Gaza" by Gideon Levy
(15) "Cracks in The Wall: Beyond Apartheid in Palestine/Israel" by Ben White
(16) "The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering" by Norman G. Finkelstein
(17) "The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World" by Avi Shlaim
(18) "The Invention of the Land of Israel: From Holy Land to Homeland" by Shlomo Sand
(19) "Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine" by Noura Erakat
(20) "The Wretched of the Earth" by Frantz Fanon
(21) "The Colonizer and the Colonized" by Albert Memmi
(22) "The Iron Wall: Zionist Revisionism From Jabotinsky to Shamir" by Lenni Brenner
(23) "God's Country: Christian Zionism in America" by Samuel Goldman
(24) "The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine" by Miko Peled
(25) "The Pro-Israel Lobby in Europe: The Politics of Religion and Christian Zionism in the European Union" by Elvira King
(26) "Orientalism" by Edward Said
Bob, the article is a furphy. Ukraine has for decades lost any claim to being "pristine" and the breadbasket of Europe. It's the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster FFS!
Excellent Chang. The West Bank became a "Bantustan" and the unelected Mahmoud Abbas a mere Israeli puppet who suppressed and contained any resistance by his people - for Israel.
Netanyahu and Israel didn't fund Hamas but let Qatar send in the money.
»”Netanyahu and Israel didn't fund Hamas but let Qatar send in the money.”
Netanyahu and Israel funded Hamas through Qatar (and others). It’s quite easy to obfuscate financial transactions (as evidenced by the Panama Papers, world-wide money laundering, shell-corporations, and many other strategies).
Qatar doesn’t have a reason to fund Hamas out of the “goodness of their hearts”. It’s important to understand that Qatar is NOT on the side of the Palestinians (just as most Arab countries are not on Palestine’s side - with the exception of Yemen, Lebanon, and Syria. Iran is Persian, hence in a different category - but Iran’s history is complex - and it has played both sides)
Who are the IDF fighting? Ans: Hamas. Conveniently levelling Gaza in the process.
>>"Who are the IDF fighting? Ans: Hamas."
Nope.
The IDF are fighting THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. Hamas is the excuse for this "always-planned" ethnic cleansing (or Genocide if it came to that - which it has).
Please read some of Caitlin's articles, since you still seem to be under the influence of FALSE NARRATIVES that "this is a war on Hamas". NO!!! This is an Israeli (and U.S.) Genocide and ethnic cleansing on ALL PALESTINIANS (starting with Gaza, and now slowing expanding to the West Bank - where there is NO Hamas). It's already expanded to Lebanon and Syria.
That's exactly my point. They say they're fighting Hamas but wiping out the Palestinians hence my comment - Hamas is a useful tool.
Maybe we are making similar points, but I don't necessarily agree with your framing of "Hamas is a useful tool" (for many reasons).
I can say, the American people are useful tools as the 1% can use divide and conquer strategies to keep them fighting with each other instead of against the 1%. Or I can say that "immigrants are a useful tool" to create moral panics and make people focus on that INSTEAD of how the 'power elite' are oppressing and exploiting working people. Or I can say that ALL Democrats are "useful tools" for the Republican congress or ALL Republicans are "useful tools" used by the Democrats in congress. You get the idea.
I have an issue with the wording (and connotation) of "Hamas is a useful tool".
I don't really care what you think.
Neither do I care what you think.