Introduction

The purpose of this blog is to provide some factual elements about the conflit between Hamas and Israel. Most media cover the day to day events, mostly viewed from Gaza. Very few of them try to fit those events in the general situation of the region, and do not broadcast relevant information that would allow you to have knowledge about the other version of the story.

You’ll find a quick presentation of Hamas, some historical facts about Israel, and some videos and articles that you will probably never hear about on your favorite TV channel.

How to read this blog

You can click on a tag in the side bar to consult articles and videos about a given topic.

You can also browse by category (video, article, etc…)

La lucha por la libertad – Pilar Rahola

06 Enero de 2009 por Sala de Prensa
Pilar Rahola es periodista, vinculada idelogicamente a la izquierda, y fue vice-alcaldesa de Barcelona.

¿Por qué no vemos manifestaciones en París, o en Londres, o en Barcelona en contra de las dictaduras islámicas? ¿Por qué no lo hacen contra la dictadura birmana? ¿Por qué no hay manifestaciones, en contra de la esclavitud de millones de mujeres, que viven sin ningún amparo legal? ¿Por qué no se manifiestan en contra del uso de niños bombas, en los conflictos donde el Islam está implicado? ¿Por qué no ha liderado nunca la lucha a favor de las víctimas de la terrible dictadura islámica de Sudan? ¿Por qué nunca se ha conmovido por las víctimas de los actos de terrorismo en Israel? ¿Por qué no considera la lucha contra el fanatismo islámico, una de sus causas principales? ¿Por qué no defiende el derecho de Israel a defenderse y a existir? ¿Por qué confunde la defensa de la causa palestina, con la justificación del terrorismo palestino? Y la pregunta del millón, ¿por qué la izquierda europea, y globalmente toda la izquierda, solo está obsesionada en luchar contra dos de las democracias más sólidas del planeta, Estados Unidos e Israel, y no contra las peores dictaduras? Las dos democracias más sólidas, y las que han sufrido los atentados más sangrantes del terrorismo mundial. Y la izquierda no está preocupada por ello.

Facts you should know about occupation

The term “Occupation” refers to Israel’s military administration of the West Bank and Gaza, which lasted from the end of the 1967 War until the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993. Israel then turned civil administration of most of the Territories over to the newly created Palestinian Authority and intended to gradually end its military presence in the area. However, radical Palestinian groups call all of Israel “Occupied Territory.”

The “Occupation” was a direct result of the broader Arab-
Israeli conflict. The term “Occupation” implies an aggressive effort to take over and rule a foreign people, but the Territories came under Israeli control during its defensive war in 1967. Arab states and Palestinians refused to accept the Jewish State’s right to exist and mobilized again in 1967 to destroy it.
As Israel defended itself, it drove back Jordanian, Egyptian and Syrian troops and captured the Territories that fell on Israel’s side of the armistice lines.

Palestinians had not made any claims to the Territories
until Israel captured them from Egypt and Jordan in 1967.
During Egypt and Jordan’s 19-year occupation (1948-1967), no one called for a Palestinian state that would include Gaza and the West Bank. West Bank residents became Jordanian citizens. The original PLO Covenant (1964) explicitly excluded the Territories from its description of Palestine and called instead for the destruction of Israel and for replacing it with Arab rule. The PLO amended its Charter to include a claim to the Territories only after Israel captured them in 1967.
The PLO “does not exercise any regional sovereignty over the West Bank in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, on the Gaza Strip or the Himmah Area.”
—Article 24, PLO Covenant, 1964

Israel repeatedly tried to end the Occupation after 1967.
Israel had no wish to rule over the Palestinians. Within two weeks after hostilities ended, Israel offered to exchange land for peace, but Arab leaders categorically rejected the offer, offi cially
issuing the “Three NOs” in Khartoum. “No peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel,
no negotiations with it.” —Khartoum Resolution, Sept 1, 1967
Between 1967 and 1969, again in 1979 in the letters attached to the Israel-Egypt peace treaty, and from 1991 until today, Israel’s leaders have sought to negotiate with the Palestinians to peacefully resolve the confl ict, but their efforts have been repeatedly rejected.

Hamas weapons hiddens in a Mosquee

You’ll see in that video that Hamas hides weapons inside a Mosquee.
Isn’t Hamas putting Gaza civilians at risk by doing so ?

Hamas shooting Quassams from UN school

Don’t shoot ambulances

Do you think these are UN ambulances, or Hamas troop transport ?

Children of Hamas

The UN has been silent to the following criminal activities of the Hamas terrorist organization: 1. Hamas has violated the rights of the Palestinian children abusing them, brainwashing them and inciting them to hate and kill. …

Quassam are not artisanal toys

Quassam are short range missiles, able to reach approximately 500 000 Israeli civilians in a radio of 50 km.

Since Israel left Gaza in 2005, 6300 rockets and mortars have been launched towards Israel, killing 10 civilians and wounding780.

With the support of Iran, Hamas has enhanced the range of its misiles, that hit Israek further in the North, putting even more civilians at risk.

Check out how it looks like to live under a rain of missiles, and then ask yourself : “would I accept living in these conditions, with no reaction from my  country ? “

What about humanitarian aid ?

Is Israel really blocking international humanitarian aid towards the Gaza population ?

Check this information and make your own opinion.

Hamas blocking humanitarian aid ?

On February 2007, members of the Palestinian Red Crescent, speaking on conditions on anonymity, said that Hamas had confiscated their humanitarian supply convoys that were destined for Palestinian civilians. Hamas claims the supplies were heading to former members of Fatah.

Extract from this article :
In the event, Egypt nevertheless made clear that it was prepared for the crossing to be opened to allow wounded Palestinians to leave for treatment and medical personnel to enter. Hamas demonstratively declined this offer. Egyptian sources have reported that a convoy of trucks and medical supplies was not allowed by Hamas to …  Read Moreenter the Strip. Hamas personnel also prevented wounded Gazan civilians from crossing the border.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that Hamas rejected the idea that only Palestinian ‘corpses’ should be permitted to leave. (Such actions and statements on the part of Hamas offer a useful reflection of the movement’s and its allies’ attitude toward their own civilians.

Jonathan Spyer is a senior researcher at the Global Research in International Affairs Center, IDC, Herzliya.

Why Israel is at war

Hamas admits it uses human shields

A Hamas representative in the PA legislative council, takes pride in the fact that women and children are used as human shield in fighting Israel. He describes it as part of the “Death Industry” at which they excel, and explains that the Palestinians “desire death” the same way Israelis “desire life”. The following is the full text: For the Palestinian people death became an industry, at which women excel and so do all people on this land: the elderly excel, the Jihad fighters excel, and the children excel. Accordingly [Palestinians] created a human shield of women, children, the elderly and the Jihad fighters againset the Zionist bombing machine, as they were saying to the Zionist enemy: We desire death as you desire Life.