Taran RampersadStick this in your hopper for when people say supporting #Palestine is supporting #Hamas. It isn't.
Clearly, the Palestinians have a Hamas problem too.
Phil Wolff@knowprose The original NYT article about #hamas's General Security Service that spied on and ratted out fellow #Palestinians. (via archive.org). #palestine #israel
> “This General Security Service is just like the Stasi of East Germany,” said Michael Milshtein, a former Israeli military intelligence officer specializing in Palestinian affairs. “You always have an eye on the street.”
> "The General Security Service’s goals are similar to those of security services in countries like Syria that have used secret units to quell dissent. The files of the General Security Service, though, mention tactics like censorship, intimidation and surveillance rather than physical violence."
So, this makes me ask...
**A. Does Hamas speak for Gazans? **Or is Hamas a militant group that cosplays government? Do Gazans in the Strip believe Hamas speaks for them? Do Gazans in diaspora believe Hamas represents them too?
**B. Can Israel treat with Hamas? **Can Israel or other governments trust that Hamas negotiates in good faith? That the government of Gaza is stable enough to strike a deal that will stick for generations instead of for weeks? *MyPoV: Both parties are assuming bad faith, and it's unlikely to change. *
**C. Casus Belli?** Will this story lead someone on Israel's side to try flipping "We're here defending Israel from Hamas" to "We're here to protect you and Israel from Hamas; we're in this together"? *MyPoV: sooner or later. *
#peace is a side effect of healthy systems keeping tensions in balance. How do those systems get restored during war? *MyPoV: Not a clue. *
@evanwolf It doesn't seem like Israel is too interested in this. I've had a cursory interest in this for decades because of a simple after dinner conversation with a friend.
I have had the time now to dig into it a bit, and I have to say... both Hamas and the present government of Israel seem to be forgetting Cyrus The Great. 👀
@evanwolf Hamas is an extreme part of the equation that has risen to the fore, I think, because for a long time it seems no one has really given Palestinians voice. That naturally will create an extremist element.
We've seen that before all over the world and in history. I don't know why suddenly we expect a different result.
Now that we're seeing more Palestinian voice, the moderate voices are chiming in. Al Jazeera served a function for that. We see what Israel thought about that.