CHAPIN: Eliminate Hamas

You only got one thing right. That is America's future depends on a sane foreign policy with respect towards Israel especially. The first thing to do would be cut off all aid to Israel because of the collective punishment prior to the War on Gaza, and then the very real war crimes viewable on Al Jazeera English. When children in Gaza are beating out pieces of flaming phosphorous wads that is prima facie evidence that its being used in civilian areas. Your article misses the fact that this war, whose casualties are now about 5000 dead or wounded, many of them women and children, was precipitated by deceit. Israel planned this long before the ceasefire in June 2008 and then broke the ceasefire when they crossed into Gaza and killed six Palestinians on November 4, 2008. They set the pretext up to draw rocket fire and implement the plan already drawn up. In addition to that perfidy, Karen Abizayd said there was a promise of a two day lull just before the start of the war and Israel used that lull to attack. And finally, Hamas exists because Israel nurtured the organization as a counter-weight to Arafat. When Hamas won elections that Bush/Rice insisted on, Israel and the US reacted by working against the democratic result, dealing the US yet another blow to its already shredded credibility ion the region. The root cause, Israel's occupations of land it does not own, have to be addressed before there is real peace. Hamas has only existed during half the time of Israel's various occupations since 1967 - the resistance was there in those years as the PLO. Without confronting the real problem, Israel's determination to hold onto land that international law says is not theirs is the real root of the problem and resistance.

As an American I utterly resent the implication that Israel is part of the Western System of values. Israel is a sectarian state which has legal impediments for those who are not members of its Master Race. Israel is more like Sudan where a similar sectarian regime is in the process of using battlefield weaponary against its own minority on the pretext that they are harbouring terrorists

This solution might work and in fact might be the only one that could. It is the shame of the USA and western allies that we will not even try to implement it. All the whining, bitching and moaning by Arabs, the media and the cowardly people of Europe will never accomplish any version of peace. Since the Industrial Revolution gave us mass transportation no conflict has concluded without unconditional surrender by one side. As mentioned in the article, this solution offers the best long term outcome for Palestinians, but first they will have to, as Golda Mair said, "learn to love their children more than they hate Israelis" . I really feel sorry for them. Their very lives, minds and hearts are manipulated daily for the benefit of their leaders.

This should be rated as a 10!!! Send copies to Isreal..I hope they finish the job.

Palestinians/Hamas lay down their weapons, and we have peace. Israel lays down her weapons, Israel is no more. The same goes for us.. www.fairtax.org www.petitionproject.org www.numbersusa.org www.grassfire.org www.ush2.com or www.fatheromalley.com where you can click through to all the above..

This is crazy talk.

No one like dead kids. but do Hamas militants think about it when they launch rockets from UN hospital to Israeli kindergartens while making sure there are enough Palestinian kiddies around in case of an air strike? No one like dead kids. Except Hamas. Because for Hamas the more there are dead kids the more support it gains. If you really want to stop the killing of children why not go to Hamas and ask them stop using them as human shields.

This is absolute insanity. Israel is much closer to the Germany of the 1930s than Hamas. Israel is seeking Lebensraum. Israel is sending its Luftwaffe against relatively defenseless opponents. Israel is banning Arab political parties. Moreover, the author is a sociopath, who takes charitable contributions in the name of patriotism and pays himself. In the words of one charity watchdog, "[Chapin] is a charity entrepreneur. He's very good at setting up charities that don't do so much charitable but bring in lots, lots of money." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Chapin

As an Israeli, I agree with most of this article. I belive the Hammas is an extremist organization that only cause pain and misery to the Israelis and the palestinians. I wish this conflict will end soon, and we could go back to our life. I wish the palestinian people will abandon this vicous leadership, and choose a more realist people, like Mahmud Abas, to lead them.

And the claim that Hamas is using children as human shields appears to be a propagandistic lie by the Israelis. "...the spokesman for the UN relief agency in Gaza, Christopher Gunness, said the organisation was “99.9 per cent certain” that there had been no militants or militant activity within the school compound." Not only is it a lie, it is also a form of psychological projection, as Israel has long used "human shields" in its activities in the occupied territories. Read more here: http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090113/FOREIGN/591536290/1140

Israel needs to pull the gloves off and finish this once and for all. They need to teach the barbarians a lesson in barbarism. The only reason the whole world isn't united behind Israel is a lot of people hate Jews.

Anyone care to respond to the inconvenient truths I'm posting? Here's another: http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/5776 According to the conservative Israeli-based Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center's analysis of rocket and missile attacks in 2008, there were only three rockets fired at Israel in July, September, and October combined. Israeli civilians living near Gaza experienced an almost unprecedented degree of security during this period, with no Israeli casualties. Yet despite the major lull, Israel continually raided the West Bank, arresting and frequently killing "wanted" Palestinians from June to October, which had the inevitable effect of ratcheting up pressure on Hamas to respond. Moreover, while the central expectation of Hamas going into the ceasefire was that Israel would lift the siege on Gaza, Israel only took the barest steps to ease the siege, which kept the people at a bare survival level. This policy was a clear affront to Hamas, and had the inescapable effect of undermining both Hamas and popular Palestinian support for the ceasefire. But Israel's most provocative action, acknowledged by many now as the critical turning point that undermined the ceasefire, took place on November 4, when Israeli forces auspiciously violated the truce by crossing into the Gaza Strip to destroy what the army said was a tunnel dug by Hamas, killing six Hamas militants."

Israel would love to have peace with her neighbors. She is unable to, however, because Israeli civilians have been targeted by Hamas rockets for years now. The reason that Israel went into Gaza at all was to protect her citizens. Israel mourns whenever a Palestinian civilian is killed. Israel even drops leaflets warning civilians of oncoming air strikes. Israel does all she can to avoid harming civilians. However, this is extremely hard because Hamas uses HUMAN SHIELDS. For PROOF, please see the following link: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Pages/MediaPlayer.aspx?MediaUrl=http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=1915991!!!!ak=null&LANGUAGE_NAME=En

To: wattsa01 First, when has any UN spokesman ever said anything in support of Israel. He is only towing the biased line of the corrupt UN. Second, do you really expect truth from this guy? He is a guest of Hamas in Hamas' territory. Anything spewed out to the detriment of Hamas would be putting his life in jeapordy. So it is rather convenient truth for him to support Hamas as a form of cowardly self preservation. And according to his response, his comments weren't in any way corroborated by any non biased or impartial party. The other organization you quote, Intelligence on Terrorism Center: Exactly what kind of organization is it? Who funds it? Are they unbiased? I've never heard of them and for all we readers know, it could be an organization using the name Israeli to give the impression it is from Israel. Who knows, it could be an al-Queda front and you've been snookered by believing it's reporting. Inconvenient truths? You seem to be the type to believe anything that will support your preordained position without any verification.

To: Libertyfirst Thanks for engaging. Problem is, I present facts, you present polemics. The claim the UN official is a "corrupt...coward...spew[ing]" lies, a claim for which you offer no proof. I welcome challenges to my body of knowledge, but you offer only your own opinion. You ask for a "non biased or impartial party" -- who exactly would that be if not the UN. Here's a quote from the terrorist loving UN GenSec Moon, who is obviously biased in favor of Hamas: "Both Israel and Hamas must hold their acts of violence and take all necessary measures to avoid civilian casualties. A ceasefire must be declared immediately. They must also curb their inflammatory rhetoric. Only then dialogue can start." And thanks so much for asking about the IITIC as I clearly have been snookered into quoting a biased organization -- in favor of Israel, that is. "The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center opened in 2001. It is part of the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC) , an NGO dedicated to the memory of the fallen of the Israeli Intelligence Community and it is located near Gelilot , north of Tel Aviv. It is headed by (Col. Ret.) Dr. Reuven Erlich." http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/site/content/T1.asp?Sid=18&pid=121 Who's got next?