The Islamist enemy

There is a strong tendency to equate Hamas and Israel in the current conflict in Gaza, as if they are two equivalent entities.  But, they are not!  Israel is a responsible, sovereign, democratic state and member of the UN for 66 years, while Hamas is a terrorist organization that is the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, that took over Gaza in a coup in 2006 and murdered hundreds of Fatah activists.  As a terrorist organization, whose major aim is to destroy Israel, it does not recognise the UN and is opposed to Egyptian Pres. al-Sisi.  It does not accept the "two state solution" proposed by the UN and the Quartet and most of the international community as a solution to the "Palestine problem" (do most western liberals realize this?) The Israeli Government under PM Netanyahu has accepted the two-state solution as the basis for negotiations with the Palestine Authority under Pres Abbas, but when Abbas formed a Unity Government for Palestine and Gaza with Hamas, Israel suspended all contacts.

It is common for international leaders, such as US Secty of State Kerry and UN Secty Gen. Ban ki-Moon to suggest a mutual ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.  Moon and most UN operatives act effectively as propagandists for Hamas, as if they were the true representatives of the Palestinian people.  But, they are not talking to Hamas and Hamas will not talk to them.  It as stupid as suggesting that the US negotiate a ceasefire with al Qaeda, or the Nigerian Govt. negotiate a ceasefire with Boko Haram, or the Kenyan Govt. negotiate a ceasefire with Al Shabbab, or the Iraqi Govt. negotiate a ceasefire with ISIS.  It can't happen, because these Islamist terrorist organizations do not recognise the existence of those States and will not negotiate with them.  The only thing they will do is fight them.  However, they will cease to fight them for some time if it suits their purpose, a so-called hudna.  This is in line with Muhammed's truce of Hudaibiyya with the Qureish tribe of Medina, which he broke as soon as his army was strong enough and then massacred all their men, as described in the Koran.  This is why there is a continuing series of attacks from Hamas, in 2009, 2012 and now.

It should be noted that all these Sunni extremist Islamist groups are linked in their aim to destroy Western (secular Judeo-Christian) civilization and establish a universal Islamic Caliphate.  Yet, while western liberals do not express sympathy with Boko Haram (that kidnapped hundreds of Nigerian Christian girls), or Al Shabbab (that killed dozens in their attack on the Southgate Mall in Nairobi), or ISIS (who have massacred hundreds of Iraqi soldiers and destroyed many Churches), they somehow find sympathy for Hamas (that has murdered hundreds of Palestinian opponents and fired thousands of missiles into populated civilian areas). I think we all know why there is this difference in the attitudes to Hamas vs these other Islamist terrorist groups.  Note also that all of these Sunni extremist terrorist groups are funded by Qatar (that also owns Al Jazeera).

Some terrorist organizations are of Shia Muslim origin, such as Islamic Jihad in Gaza and Hizbollah in Lebanon, that are both proxies of Shia Iran.  These terrorists will sometimes fight alongside the Sunni terrorists against their common western enemies, but they regard each other as enemies and the ISIS organization, that has just esablished the so-called Islamic State in the ruins of Syria and Iraq, is aggressively fighting the Shia-led Govt. of Pres. Nuri al-Maliki in Iraq.