There can be no peace until the murderous, thieving overlords of Hamas are driven from Gaza

Telegraph

2 hours ago

Despite calls from the Arab League to disarm, Hamas says it refuses to do so until an independent Palestinian state is established. By that the terrorist group means it will never disarm, because it knows that no Palestinian state will ever be established. Certainly not the state they envisage, which is a far cry from the two-state solution that Starmer, Macron and Carney seem to have in mind. Hamas want a one-state solution, an Islamic State encompassing the entirety of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. Hence their slogan 'from the river to the sea', mouthed incessantly on university campuses and the streets of our cities by uncomprehending hordes. Hamas's founding charter demands the annihilation of Israel and the death of Jews everywhere. Despite a cosmetic 'revision' and English language statements made to fool Westerners, this has never been repudiated and remains their unwavering goal.
The leadership of Hamas are vicious, bloodthirsty terrorists, many of them multi millionaires enriched by decades stealing aid meant for the people of Gaza. But they are far from being fools. They understand that Israel will never surrender to them and they will never have the military power to drive the Israelis out. Their best shot was 7th October 2023, which was supposed to be supported by an invasion by Hezbollah from the north and backed by rocket fire from Iran's other 'ring of fire' terrorist proxies. They murdered, raped, tortured, kidnapped and burned but failed to achieve what they intended.
Instead their actions drove Gaza to ruin and decimated their own fighting strength. But they will fight on fanatically for as long as they are physically able to do so. Hamas is a miniature version of Al Qaida. Like Hamas, Bin Laden sought an Islamic caliphate, but on a global scale. And like Hamas, he didn't expect to achieve it in his life-time or even for generations. He saw his role as killing, destruction and economic damage. The purpose was to demoralise the West and 'apostate' Muslim regimes, creating strife and division around the world until eventually the caliphate would be established.
Hamas and Iran's other regional proxies have a similar intent, though the ayatollahs in Tehran sought to speed things up by developing nuclear weapons. Although their tactics and public-facing rhetoric are different, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party have pretty much the same objective as Hamas. That's why the US State Department recently sanctioned them for funding and supporting terrorism and inculcating violent jihad into their population.
Israel has no choice but to continue to suppress terrorism in the West Bank, in which Hamas is also heavily involved, to prevent the territory going the way of Gaza. Likewise in Gaza itself there is no political solution; Hamas can be dealt with only by military destruction. That means continuing the war until they are no longer a threat. That might include fostering internal military opposition, which is being tried, and forcing the leadership out of Gaza to a country willing to take them, which is also being planned.
Starmer, Macron and Carney's demands that Israel ends the war on pain of recognition of a Palestinian state means the fighting is likely to go on longer.
Not only do these politicians encourage and empower Hamas for the immediate fight, they also validate their terrorist tactics. Unfortunately the leaders of Britain, France and Germany are not breaking new ground in their miscalculations. For decades, in the face of violence against Israel, the first resort of the professional peace processors, politicians, diplomats and UN officials has been to appease the aggressors and attack and vilify Israel, demanding concessions while never demanding anything of their enemies. At the same time they have perverted international law to paint Israel as the oppressors and those who oppose them as the victims. That has led to Hamas intensifying and developing their human shield tactics knowing Israel will be branded baby-killers.
That is also why Hamas, in cahoots with the UN, have weaponised hunger in Gaza leading to a successful propaganda campaign falsely accusing Israel of yet more war crimes. This, often disgracefully utilising photographs of young children suffering from unrelated genetic medical conditions to falsely show starvation, is among the most powerful levers applied to push Keir Starmer into his recent actions against Israel. After visiting Gaza, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff confirmed yesterday that 'There is hardship and shortage, but no starvation'.
The shameful truth is that Starmer, Macron and Carney do have sufficient insight into the same reality as Witkoff, but lack the moral courage to stand up against the hurricane of lies about starvation, unlawful killing and the other trumped up charges against Israel. In each case their priority is to appease the anti-Israel mobs among their own electorates. Their eyes are not on aiding an ally under pressure or the dire consequences at home of encouraging jihadism abroad, but on the ballot boxes.