Threat to Israel: Hamas: Not Partners of Peace

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                           

Hamas Terrorist in uniform

As President Obama is gearing up to start another round of peace talks between the Palestinian Arabs and Israel, let me remind him that he is trying to make peace between Israel's closest threat to her, the terrorist group of Hamas who have taken over Gaza.  The problem is that Hamas has influence over Judea and Samaria's political leader, Abbas.
                                                                           

Fatah and Hamas, on and off rivals,  joined together in 2011.  Here's Hamas' leader in Gaza,
Ismail Haniyeh right in the front row.  

They had joined together to create a Palestine, remember?
                                                                         

Hamas is a designated terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.  It is an immediate, ongoing threat to Israel and its citizens.  It would be lovely if a miracle happened after these 68 years and they decided not to follow their life time swearing of never making peace.  Indications are that they are as adamant as ever in not pursuing such a peace.  Even President Rivlin has said that now is not the time.
                                                                           

More Hamas Terrorists
Since 2007, they have started 3 wars with Israel.  

This is because the group is constructing an enormous infrastructure with which to attack Israeli communities, including a broad network of terror tunnels that are rebuilt with funds diverted from international humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians.  This means that 7.6 million Israelis are now within range of about 10,000 Hamas rockets.
                                                                         

Morsi and Obama were tight.  

These terrorists founded Hamas in 1987 as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.  This is the group that had taken over Egypt temporarily with Morsi as its President who their General  Sisi finally ousted at the USA's President Obama's objections.
                                                                             

Later talks in Cairo with John Kerry.

 He was defending the Muslim Brotherhood a 2nd time, as he also showed favoritism to them when he first spoke in Cairo and wanted them in the front seats of the auditorium. At the time they were being blackballed by Egypt.  Morsi was a high-ranking Muslim Brotherhood leader. The Muslim Brotherhood is all for wiping Israel off the map and killing Jews.
                                                                         

Hamas Unit Right  on Israel's Doorstep

Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) rules the Gaza Strip and wants Israel destroyed.  Since 1987 they have murdered more than 500 Israeli civilians.  Since 2007, when the group violently overtook the Gaza Strip, it has started 3 wars with Israel.  They get money and arms from Iran, who also wants Israel destroyed; not made peace with but completely destroyed into oblivion.  There are other smaller jihadist militant organizations in Gaza.  One is the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Islamic State called ISIS.
                                                                                 
To show their interest in peace, Hamas builds attack tunnels, so why does Obama think they will come to a peace table  and be sincere about it?  In the last war with them in 2014, Israel found and destroyed 32 Hamas tunnels which were going right into Israel from Gaza.  The Hamas terrorists' aim was to kidnap and kill Israelis.  Here they now are, 1,000 Hamas men are rebuilding the attack tunnel network, diverting materials provided by the international community to rebuild Gaza's home and civilian infrastructure for postwar progress.  The Israelis living near Gaza have reported hearing digging sounds beneath their communities.
                                                                           

Why dig tunnels?  Last year Israel prevented almost 1,000 Hamas smuggling operations to import weapons and other illicit materials into Gaza that could be used for bomb making.  The  contraband included rocket components, explosives, rocket fuel, drones and banned dual-use items.
                                                                             
 Also, scuba diving equipment was confiscated that would be used for sea attacks.  This shows that Hamas' continued investment in naval infiltration operations  are going on against Israel.

Two years ago in 2014, Hamas and Israel were at war and 4 Hamas divers attempted to perpetrate terror attacks at Israel's Zikim Beach.  Since Operation Protective Edge, Hamas has doubled the size of its naval commando force.
                                                                             

Long-range rockets hitting Israel 

Since 2001, which is only 15 years ago, terrorist groups from Gaza have fired more than 17,000 rockets into Israel.  Israel protects itself with their invention of the Iron Dome rocket defense system, but it cannot totally eliminate the threat.  Just 2 years ago, there were hundreds of rockets and mortar attacks from Gaza.  This included missiles made by using Iranian techniques and included longer-range Iranian rockets.  This forced Israel to launch another defensive operation known as OPERATION PROTECTIVE EDGE.    More rockets have been fired into Israel since the attack was officially stopped.
                                                                             

Hamas's leader is Ismail Haniyeh.  He would be the one Obama needs to convince that peace is important.  Yet Haniyeh is busy praising the recent violent attack of his men against Israel by his terrorists from Judea and Samaria and east Jerusalem and called for another Intifada in Judea and Samaria.   That's how he answered the EU and Obama's desires of being able to stage another peace initiative.  With WAR!  In this way he's telling Abbas that he cannot sit down to any peace talk as there will be no peace.  
                                                                               

Chart showing Palestinian activity against Israel : Hebrew goes from right to left instead of English that goes from left to right.  

Israel and the PA of Judea and Samaria, the rulers there, uncovered Hamas cells preparing violent attacks against Israeli civilians and other actions meant to destabilize Judea and Samaria.
                                                                               

PA leader, Abbas

During the 2014 summer war, Israel's internal security service stopped a Hamas coup attempt in Judea and Samaria aimed at overthrowing Abbas and instigating a new round of violence.

Israel and the PA have broken up Hezbollah and other Iranian sponsored terrorist cells in Judea and Samaria.
                                                                         

Remember, Israel is and has been the only Democratic state in the Middle East.  Israel's survival is important to the USA's national interests.  The USA has been the only one to provide annual security assistance for its self-defense against mounting threats across the region. which now includes ISIS.  There has been a 10 year Memorandum of Understanding between these 2 allies.  They also have going between them other cooperative programs including a missile defense and tunnel detection.   Israel is the creator of defense methods both in their own airport and in other ways that they share with other nations.  Right now they might even help Turkey with airport defense due to Turkey's current attack there.  One thing Israel can't do without are resources to buy weapons for protection so they can develop systems needed to respond decisively to threats from Hamas and Hezbollah and a potential nuclear armed Iran.
                                                                         

Congress has been more understanding of this need than our President may have been.  We must insure that this continues.  Israel is the child of the USA who is about to receive their PhD in 6 months after 4 years of hard studying.  We cannot stop our assistance now when Israel is so close to receiving its degree.  One doesn't walk out on their children.  The same with the state of Israel.  The USA cannot come to a point of pulling out its much needed alliance with new senators who might  not see the forest for the trees.  Israel has been self reliant.  She is  not costing the USA with American lives, just money well spent.  Of all the money spent in attacking, here is one place it's used in defense.

 If they are concerned about a difference in numbers of lives lost, another reminder is that to Israel, lives are to be defended, but to terrorist groups such as Hamas, lives are there to be used, and have little value.  That's why numbers have been so lop-sided.  Don't blame Israel for keeping their people alive under attacks.  This is a difference in the two value systems.  Israel preaches "TO LIFE" and Hamas and ISIS preach 'TO DEATH' which will get us what we want.

Resource:  AIPAC
https://electronicintifada.net/content/after-reconciliation-agreement-hamas-and-fatah-united-press-crackdown/13463
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/fatah-and-hamas-initial-accord-officials-say/2011/04/27/AFH7pxzE_story.html