BBC reported today that the European Commission is preparing to pay 120 million Euro to Hamas for what the commission calls "meeting the basic needs of Palestinians". How about letting the terrorists they elected fund the people. After all the people have been funding the terrorists for decades.
The following from fas.org:
HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement)
Description
The HAMAS (in Arabic, an acronym for "Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamia" -- Islamic Resistance Movement -- and a word meaning courage and bravery) is a radical Islamic fundamentalist organization which became active in the early stages of the intifada, operating primarily in the Gaza District but also in Judea and Samaria. Formed in late 1987 as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Various HAMAS elements have used both political and violent means, including terrorism, to pursue the goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel. Loosely structured, with some elements working clandestinely and others working openly through mosques and social service institutions to recruit members, raise money, organize activities, and distribute propaganda. HAMAS’s strength is concentrated in the Gaza Strip and a few areas of the West Bank. Also has engaged in political activity, such as running candidates in West Bank Chamber of Commerce elections.
Activities
HAMAS activists, especially those in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have conducted many attacks—including large-scale suicide bombings—against Israeli civilian and military targets. In the early 1990s, they also targeted suspected Palestinian collaborators and Fatah rivals. HAMAS increased its operational activity during 2002-2003 claiming numerous attacks against Israeli interests. The group has not targeted US interests—although some US citizens have been killed in HAMAS operations—and continues to confine its attacks to Israelis inside Israel and the territories.
Strength
Unknown number of official members; tens of thousands of supporters and sympathizers.
Location/Area of Operation
HAMAS currently limits its terrorist operations to Israeli military and civilian targets in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Israel. The group’s leadership is dispersed throughout the Gaza Strip and West Bank, with a few senior leaders residing in Syria, Lebanon, and the Gulf States.
External Aid
Receives some funding from Iran but primarily relies on donations from Palestinian expatriates around the world and private benefactors in moderate Arab states. Some fundraising and propaganda activity take place in Western Europe and North America.
Interesting now that Europe wants to join Iran and other Arab states in funding terrorism.
Also for the blind fools thinking that Hamas is now peaceful, think again.
From cfrterrorism.org :
What does Hamas believe and what are its goals?
Hamas combines Palestinian nationalism with Islamic fundamentalism. Its founding charter commits the group to the destruction of Israel, the replacement of the PA with an Islamist state on the West Bank and Gaza, and to raise “the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.” Its leaders have called suicide attacks the “F-16” of the Palestinian people. Hamas believes “peace talks will do no good,” Rantisi said in April 2004. “We do not believe we can live with the enemy.”
Only two years ago they plainly stated their primary goal is to kill all Jews and wipe out Israel.
Nice move Europe.
*Note: For the bleeding hearts among you who will undoubtedly claim that Hamas does social work and blah, blah, blah whatever else. It makes zero difference if your goal is to wipe out a people and take their land.
Posted by Muddy at February 27, 2006 08:12 AMGeorge Bush and Cheney surely are proffiting from "terrorism." Maybe Hamas just stole a page from their book.
Posted by: mooseboy84 at February 27, 2006 01:15 PM???????????????
Posted by: mrs. muddy at February 27, 2006 01:59 PMI don't recall any U.S. leader (rep or dem) saying our goal is to wipe out a country (ie. kill all their people) and take their land.
Posted by: muddy at February 27, 2006 03:08 PMThey dont need to say it, they just do it. [that whole little iraq thing]
Posted by: mooseboy84 at February 28, 2006 06:30 AM"They dont need to say it, they just do it. [that whole little iraq thing]"
So you're one of those people who want Saddam back in power, eh?
Posted by: mrs. muddy at February 28, 2006 07:59 AMExcept for that whole little problem of not wiping out the country and not taking their land, sure i can see that analogy.
Posted by: skywalker at February 28, 2006 09:10 AMI'm sorry for you guys but Israel has been illegally occupuying the palestinian territories for close to 40 years now. IT has violated all the UN resolutions asking it to withdraw from these territories. Israel s the bad guy here. The Hamas just like PLO is right to fight in order to get back the palestinian land.
Besides Israel has illegaly ethnically cleansed its territories of palestinians during the 1948 and 1967 wars, it has never allowed palestinians to come back, neither provided some form of compensation for the land stolen to these people.
So of course hamas is wrong to call for the destruction of Israel, and to use terror as a weapon. However Israel has effectively done everything in its power to destroy palestine, has been much more effective in doing so. Let's not miss this fact. Israel has never provided any decent peace plan, not even the last one under Clinton.
Europeans defend international law and the right of palestinians to self determinate.
As long as Israel makes no effort to comply with international law and seek a fair peace with palestinians it's existence will be shaky.
Muslims know that christian kingdoms lasted 200 years but that they finally destroyed them. So long as they resent Israel as a new religious crusade, they'll keep on fighting it.
The only way towards long lasting peace is through a solution to the palestinian prroblem and an international status for jerusalem. This has never been admitted by Israel so far.
Let me be clear, Israel has wiped out palestine of its inhabitant, taken their land, and forced the former inhabitants to live forever in exile.
That's the facts.
PLO and Hamas are trying to get the land back.
One can blame Hamas because it does not recognise the 1967 borders, not even the 1948 ones.
It does not change the fact that Israel has destroyed palestine and kills palestinians, while hamas may want to do the same with israel but so far has not done it. So Israel is a criminal and Hamas a would be criminal
Actually, df, those are only part of the facts.
And you can blame Hamas. Israel even allowed repatriation at one point, until Palestinians started blowing themselves up and attacking Jews.
Israel hasn't destroyed Palestine either. Palestine was an arbitrary international zone of land created by a UN mandate.
Israel didn't just randomly start killing Palestinians. Yes, there was a civil war that began with both sides attacking each other. But the Israeli's did just round them up and shoot them. Usually, they didn't do anything to them, most left of their own volition because the Arabs started rumors of genocide. In a couple of select cases, the Zionists DID just kick everyone out.
However, Palestinians did just start killing civilians at random.
Sorry, if they want "their land back" (And it's about as much their land as the land I am living on being the American Indian's land) then they should attack military targets, not civilians. When you specifically target civilians for the purpose of advancing a political goal, that is the definition of terrorism. When you attack a military target for the purpose fo advancing a political goal, that's called a war.
Posted by: skywalker at March 9, 2006 04:52 PMActually, df, those are only part of the facts.
And you can blame Hamas. Israel even allowed repatriation at one point, until Palestinians started blowing themselves up and attacking Jews.
Israel hasn't destroyed Palestine either. Palestine was an arbitrary international zone of land created by a LEague of nations mandate.
Israel didn't just randomly start killing Palestinians. Yes, there was a civil war that began with both sides attacking each other. But the Israeli's did just round them up and shoot them. Usually, they didn't do anything to them, most left of their own volition because the Arabs started rumors of genocide. In a couple of select cases, the Zionists DID just kick everyone out.
However, Palestinians did just start killing civilians at random.
Sorry, if they want "their land back" (And it's about as much their land as the land I am living on being the American Indian's land) then they should attack military targets, not civilians. When you specifically target civilians for the purpose of advancing a political goal, that is the definition of terrorism. When you attack a military target for the purpose fo advancing a political goal, that's called a war.
Posted by: skywalker at March 9, 2006 04:52 PM