Anonymous wrote:

I'm pretty sure there are already other threads on those topics. Why don't we try to keep this one on topic.

I was mimicking the pro-Israel posters who responded in the thread I started about the new Israeli government. Not one of them replied on topic. They mostly tried to change the subject to how terrible the Palestinians are. This thread appears to have been started in response to my complaints about them not staying on topic.

jsteele wrote:But, what about the Israeli government? What about the settlers? How come orthodox Jews are attacking gays and women who are not modestly dressed? What about anything other than the Hamas government?

I'm pretty sure there are already other threads on those topics. Why don't we try to keep this one on topic.

Hamas is a disaster that has no interest in peace or the future or security of the Palestinian people. They are extremists that only care about their ideology. Fatah on the other hand could be a partner for peace.

That last .ll. on the previous post was a slip of my thumb, but it looks like it could be an emoticon. It reminds me of a little creature, perhaps a squirrel, taking a peek at the conversation. What do you think?

Setting aside the joy of snark (just for a moment, given where we are), might we ever discuss actual steps that are feasible in pursuit of peace and stability?.ll.

Interesting article:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/12/idf-no-alternative-to-hamas-in-gaza-top-israeli-general-turgeman-war

"One of Israel’s most senior military officers has said there is no obvious alternative to Hamas’s rule in Gaza and that deposing the Islamist group in the coastal strip cannot be achieved quickly."

[ snip ]

"Contradicting claims by leading political figures – including Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu – Turgeman said that far from forming an ideological axis with Islamic State and al-Qaida, Hamas “does not want global jihad” and had shared interests with Israel, not least stability."

[ snip ]

"The only replacement for Hamas is the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] and authoritarian chaos. Other than Hamas there is no other axis that could control [Gaza].”

Turgeman added: “The [Palestinian] Authority cannot rule and this should be taken as an indisputable statement.”

If only the OP knew the first thing about Palestinian politics, maybe this thread would go somewhere.

If only Hamas had a credible partner for peace.

Anonymous wrote:Let's pretend I want to have a discussion after posting a thread title like that.

OK, do you know any of their names?

Well, there is only one reason for Hamas to exist, without the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, there wouldn't be a need for Hamas. From The wise late Christopher Hitchens :

"In order for Israel to become part of the alliance against whatever we want to call it, religious barbarism, theocratic, possibly thermonuclear theocratic or nuclear theocratic aggression, it can't, it'll have to dispense with the occupation. It's as simple as that.
It can be, you can think of it as a kind of European style, Western style country if you want, but it can't govern other people against their will. It can't continue to steal their land in the way that it does every day.And it's unbelievably irresponsible of Israelis, knowing the position of the United States and its allies are in around the world, to continue to behave in this unconscionable way. And I'm afraid I know too much about the history of the conflict to think of Israel as just a tiny, little island surrounded by a sea of ravening wolves and so on. I mean, I know quite a lot about how that state was founded, and the amount of violence and dispossession that involved. And I'm a prisoner of that knowledge. I can't un-know it."

Let's cut the $3 billion we give in aid to Hamas-- oh wait we don't give them anything.

But, what about the Israeli government? What about the settlers? How come orthodox Jews are attacking gays and women who are not modestly dressed? What about anything other than the Hamas government?

No argument here.

Let's pretend I want to have a discussion after posting a thread title like that.