I agree with some of it but its' main thrust is that in Israel it is Netanyahu and his latest far right government are the problem and that Hamas is just a rabid dog organisation of murderers bent on death and paradise.Originally Posted by the other bob wilson
Netanyahu and his fascist government are certainly a complete barrier to any solution, and Hamas has amongst its 30,000 fighters a large number of men who see no other way than murder and terror.
But this is Freedland doing his usual whitewash job for Zionism and presenting persecution of Palestinians as a recent phenomenon. It is also another opinion piece that ignores the complexity of Hamas. The military wing was proscribed by western governments as a terrorist organisation over 20 years ago. They only decided to add the Hamas health, housing and sewage workers to the list 2-3 years ago - as a political gesture. In the past 7-8 years Hamas modified its charter, made peace offers to Israel and accepted the idea of a 2 state solution - all moves ignored or rejected.
Most of the Hamas leaders living in luxury exile (not all) and many of the fighters are a total obstacle to peace, but most of their ordinary members and supporters will have to be part of a solution. Equally although Netanyahu and his mates are an obstacle to peace and so is the state ideology and many of the 600,000 illegal settlers on the West Bank (and beneficiaries of the recent ethnic cleansing in East Jerusalem), the people of Israel - especially the 80% who are Jewish - must be part of a solution.
None of that will happen if the Jonathan Freedland view that a few recent bad apples on both sides (but mainly the Palestinian side for him) are the only problem. It goes deeper and it goes back much longer.
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