Dead end for Palestinians
BY FRIDA GHITIS
fjghitis@gmail.com
Whatever ones views about Israel and its campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, it is imperative to look closely at its enemy. Those who care deeply about the fate of the Palestinian people should spend some time examining Hamas. The aims of the Islamic group that has held power in Gaza for 18 months stand in direct opposition to the goals of Palestinians who want peace, freedom and a better future.
Hamas opposes the two-state solution, and it has proven a brutal enemy against any Palestinians who disagree with its views. Hamas has all but banished its Palestinian rival, Fatah, from Gaza. It does not tolerate different views. Freedom of thought, expression and religion, are on their way out in Gaza.
The Hamas charter, in Article 8, provides a framework. ''Allah is its target, the Prophet [Muhammad] is its model, the Koran is its constitution, jihad is its path, and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of its wishes.'' Last month, a report in an Arab newspaper detailed a vote by the Hamas parliament to introduce Sharia, Islamic law. The report said Hamas wants to bring back amputations, hangings, lashings and even crucifixion. The death penalty would be reserved for serious crimes, such as 'negotiat[ing] with a foreign government -- against Palestinians' interest.''
Anyone under the impression that Hamas secretly wishes to negotiate peace with Israel has fallen victim to wishful thinking. Hamas openly calls for the destruction of Israel and wants to replace ''every inch'' of it with an Islamic nation, as part of fundamentalists' goal of creating one large supranational caliphate. In fact, Hamas does not like the idea of a nation-state.
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