by Khaled Abu Toameh
De-radicalization will happen only after Palestinians see that Hamas has been totally defeated, disarmed and removed from power.... Failure to eradicate Hamas will only pave the way for another October 7 massacre against Israel.
Hamas, in short, has decided to eliminate any Palestinian opposed to terrorism and supportive of coexistence with Israel.
Hamas's actions also demonstrate that the terror group is determined to exploit the current ceasefire to reassert its control over the Gaza Strip.
The silence, or apathy, of the international community, including so-called pro-Palestinian groups and individuals, towards Hamas's crimes only encourages the terror group to proceed with its crackdown on its own people. The silence of the world, in addition, sends a message to the Palestinians that they should refrain from rising against Hamas and other terror groups in the Gaza Strip.
We have not yet heard of a single Hamas terrorist talking about recognizing Israel's right to exist. In the eyes of Hamas leaders, the Trump peace plan is just another temporary ceasefire that should be used for rearming, regrouping, and preparing for massacring more Israelis.
In recent months, Hamas has been quoting a famous statement by its former leader, the late Ismail Haniyeh, to confirm that the terror group will never recognize Israel's right to exist: "We said it five years ago and we say it now... we will never, we will never recognize Israel."
No transitional government or "Board of Peace" will ever be able to enforce law and order as long as Hamas terrorists feel free to murder any Palestinian who wants peace and coexistence with Israel.
De-radicalization will happen only after Palestinians see that Hamas has been totally defeated, disarmed and removed from power.... Failure to eradicate Hamas will only pave the way for another October 7 massacre against Israel.
US President Donald Trump's plan for ending the Hamas-Israel war states that "Gaza will be a de-radicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors." His plan also stipulates that "Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough" and that "once all [Israeli] hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty."
Although Hamas has released the 20 living hostages and, since the announcement of Trump's plan in early October, has handed over the bodies of some of the fallen, the Gaza Strip remains anything but a "de-radicalized terror-free zone."
After the ceasefire went into effect, Hamas terrorists began rounding up dozens of Palestinians as part of a massive crackdown on critics and opponents of the terror group. At least 32 Palestinians have been publicly executed and many more otherwise killed by Hamas thugs under the pretext of "collaboration" with Israel. Fifty-two of those killed belonged to Hamas's rival Doghmush clan.
Trump's plan specifically notes that Gaza should not "pose a threat to its [Israeli] neighbors." Hamas's brutal crackdown shows that Gaza is posing a threat to its own people: Palestinians.
Hamas has not provided any evidence that many of those who were blindfolded, forced to kneel and executed extrajudicially in the street, in front of Palestinian children and teenagers, were linked in any way to the Israeli security forces. By labeling its victims as "collaborators," Hamas is seeking to justify its crimes to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The terror group knows that Palestinians have no sympathy for anyone accused of treason and working for the Israeli "enemy."
As Hamas drags Palestinians to the streets to face its firing squads, the international community appears to be looking the other way. Hamas, however, is not going after criminals, outlaws and suspected collaborators, as it claims. Instead, it is targeting those who dared to speak out against the terror group that brought death and destruction to the Gaza Strip after its October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel. Hamas is targeting Palestinian clans and individuals who dared to publicly challenge its atrocities against both Israelis and Palestinians.
Even if Hamas's claim that some of these Palestinians were "collaborators" with Israel is true, it means that these people chose to help Israel in its war on terrorism. Hamas, in short, has decided to eliminate any Palestinian opposed to terrorism and supportive of coexistence with Israel.
If anything, these murders show that the Gaza Strip is still not a "terror-free zone." Hamas's actions also demonstrate that the terror group is determined to exploit the current ceasefire to reassert its control over the Gaza Strip. The silence, or apathy, of the international community, including so-called pro-Palestinian groups and individuals, towards Hamas's crimes only encourages the terror group to proceed with its crackdown on its own people. The silence of the world, in addition, sends a message to the Palestinians that they should refrain from rising against Hamas and other terror groups in the Gaza Strip.
The Trump peace plan assumes that there are Hamas terrorists who might commit to coexistence with Israel and lay down their weapons. Hamas's actions and rhetoric in the past two weeks, however, suggest that the opposite is true. We have not yet heard of a single Hamas terrorist talking about recognizing Israel's right to exist. In the eyes of Hamas leaders, the Trump peace plan is just another temporary ceasefire that should be used for rearming, regrouping, and preparing for massacring more Israelis.
On October 16, Hamas announced, in a statement marking the first anniversary of the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 atrocities:
"[T]he martyrdom of leader Yahya Sinwar, and before him the leaders and symbols of the movement, will only increase the strength, steadfastness, and determination of the movement, its people and its resistance to adhere to their approach, continue in their path and be loyal to their blood and sacrifices...
"[T]he ember of the Al-Aqsa Flood [the name Hamas uses for its October 7 massacres] will remain burning and the banner of resistance will not fall until comprehensive liberation and the establishment of a fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital."
When Hamas talks about "comprehensive liberation," it means conquering all the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, and replacing Israel with an Islamist state.
Notably, Hamas is still fully committed to its 1988 charter, which states:
"The Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered; it, or any part of it, should not be given up. Neither a single Arab country nor all Arab countries, neither any king or president, nor all the kings and presidents, neither any organization nor all of them, be they Palestinian or Arab, possess the right to do that." (Article 11).
"There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors." (Article 13)
In recent months, Hamas has been quoting a famous statement by its former leader, the late Ismail Haniyeh, to confirm that the terror group will never recognize Israel's right to exist: "We said it five years ago and we say it now... we will never, we will never recognize Israel."
For Hamas, any Palestinian or Arab who dares to make peace with Israel is a "collaborator" and "traitor" who deserves the death sentence. Hamas's public executions of "collaborators" aim to send a warning not only to Palestinians, but to all Arabs as well: Peace and coexistence with Israel is an act of treason punishable by death.
The Gaza Strip will never be de-radicalized as long as Hamas continues to roam the streets and launch violent and ruthless crackdowns on Palestinians. No transitional government or "Board of Peace" will ever be able to enforce law and order as long as Hamas terrorists feel free to murder any Palestinian who wants peace and coexistence with Israel.
De-radicalization will happen only after Palestinians see that Hamas has been totally defeated, disarmed and removed from power. This is the only way to ensure the success of the Trump peace plan. The way things are going in the Gaza Strip these days, it appears that we are returning to the pre-October 7 era, during which Hamas maintained its grip on the Gaza Strip with an iron fist. Failure to eradicate Hamas will only pave the way for another October 7 massacre against Israel.
- Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21998/hamas-public-executions
No comments:
Post a Comment