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?
@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.