Is it really peace they want?Palestinian banner. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock
It’s never good when the middleman is significantly inclined towards one of the sides, and that’s what Israeli President Shimon Peres implied about one of the mediators in the Gaza-Israel fight. “Qatar does not have the right to send money for rockets and tunnels which are fired at innocent civilians,” said Peres in comments released by his office, alluding to the mediator’s support for Hamas.
“Their funding of terror the must stop. If they want to build then they should, but they must not be allowed to destroy.” Qatar, according to a report from The Times of Israel, is one of the nations seeking to help broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. As host to Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, Qatar obviously isn’t neutral.
Speaking of Meshaal, he didn’t sound very inclined towards reaching that ceasefire on Wednesday either. In a report by the BBC, Meshaal told a press conference that they would not accept a ceasefire to end the conflict that does not also end the blockade of Gaza by Israel and Egypt.
Israel has long maintained a partial blockade on Gaza, which among other things helps restrict the weapons that can reach groups like Hamas. Israel does allow foodstuffs and fuel to enter Gaza, with fewer restrictions in recent years on non-military items.
Egypt has also limited access to itself via the Gaza border. Hamas, which isn’t even fighting with Egypt, wants that border opened as part of a ceasefire with Israel as well. The BBC reported that Meshaal also wanted buy adipex brand online prisoners released as part of a deal.
Israel, which already accepted a ceasefire proposed by Egypt and backed by the Arab League, has so far not accepted Hamas’ demands. US Secretary of State John Kerry, in the region to help broker a ceasefire, recently said that the ceasefire shouldn’t reward Hamas for its attacks.
In Meshaal’s speech rejecting an unconditional ceasefire, he also said that “no one” could disarm the Palestinian terror groups, which he called the “resistance.” The comments, reported by the Ma’an News Agency, noted that they came after 28 European Union Foreign Ministers called for Hamas’ military wing to be disarmed.
Peres, in his comments with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, pointed out that Hamas’ focus has been militant—to the detriment of innocent Gazans.
“Instead of investing in education, in healthcare and in building a future for Gaza, Hamas wasted millions on tunnels and rockets,” said Peres. “The people of Gaza are not our enemies. Gaza could have become a center of trade but Hamas turned it into a center of terror.”
Peres then listed the civilian locations that Hamas has used for militant purposes, again laying the blame for the deaths of innocent Gazans on the terror group. “Hamas built an infrastructure of terror beneath schools and kindergartens. They use hospitals to launch attacks. They hide in houses and use their children as human shields.
“…The death of innocent civilians pains me personally and it pains our people. We sanctify life, every life. Hamas glorifies death and they are the ones responsible for the deaths in Gaza.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, July 23, 2014)