Opinion
By Costas Constantinou*
A colleague of mine asked me the other day a very interesting question. Let's assume, he said, that Israel does manage to destroy Hamas somehow. What's the use? Will it not be revived otherwise in a few years time?
First of all, yes. With 75% of the Palestinians both in the West Bank and in Gaza saying - that is after they partied on the streets- that they support the massacres of October 7, the massacres which at least after the Nazi era no one thought that we would see again in our lifetime, yes. It will very likely be revived somehow. But, you know, glorious predictions should also come with answers or even ideas. If you were in the shoes of Israelis what else would have you done after October 7?
The inability to answer this question in a serious manner is one that affects all these... bright Western minds who think that they are able to foresee the future and therefore become DIY social media analysts. And the reason for this is that there is no answer. Apart from the obvious. That you would have done the same if you were left with no choice but to deal with the efforts of the Axis, the Russians, the Turks, the Iranians and the rest, to destroy you.
Israel LEFT Gaza in 2005. In 2007 Hamas took over killing opponents and attacking Israelis (but no one gave a damn in the West), launching attacks on Israel and also trying to destabilize Egypt eventually too, leading both Jerusalem and Cairo to shut their borders. Guess what. Israel only was to blame for blocking Gaza! Eventually, the border was reopened on the side of Egypt.
Israel, despite facing, in the years that followed, massive rocket attacks and killings, started to grant work permissions to Gazans as well as around 20.000 free treatments every year in Israeli hospitals. One of those treated was the mastermind of the October 7 massacres, Yahya Sinwar. Gazans, the rich ones supporting Hamas, would travel to Egypt and fly to Istanbul on holidays. But guess what? The West was still being told that Gaza was "an open prison" and who's blame would that be? Israel's!
One of the most chilling stories right after October 7 was that of survivors from many of the nearby kibbutzim who identified a number of the killers of 7/10. They considered them friends even as many of those worked for them and they knew them well.
The same happened with others who saw footage of these monsters crossing into Israel to work the day before. They returned the next day to behead and burn alive babies, women and men, to rape and kill innocent people.
Any ideas, bright minds? It's easy to judge drinking your soya pumpkin latte or whatever and getting ready for Christmas.
Try walking in their shoes too.
Back to Gaza, one of the main reasons why we reached this sad point today IS unfortunately the West and the rest of the world. Antonio Guterres the despicable GS of the UN and his 'corroded by interests and Qatari money organization' are by no means innocent for what happened.
The Durban Review Conference the most shocking antisemitic (and anti-Israeli) event after World War II was organised by the UN. And ever since, the UN never bothered to discuss or condemn Hamas. They would issue 10-15 resolutions against Israel, one on Iran and none on most of the world's brutal regimes. I wonder why.
It took the UN Women organization 57 days (!) to even condemn the most massive and horrendous violence against women who were raped and/or killed on October 7. Why?
But on the ground as well, in Gaza, the UN knew very well that the help it was providing was used to an unforgivable extent by Hamas and not by ordinary Palestinians. They knew that schools built and maintained by UNRWA with UN money were used to teach hatred and that kids from kindergarten even learned in these facilities that their aim in life was to kill Jews and become martyrs for Allah. UNRWA facilities were even used as prisons by Hamas after 7/10, not to mention the weapons depots inside them. Hamas among many others destroyed a state-of-the-art water supply system worth millions (built by the EU) to use the water pipes for rocket production and invited the Press to watch! But for the UN, Israel was to blame for water shortages (!) although it provided water to Gaza until 2018 and 50% of the electricity used there until 7/10.
Why was all this happening? Because the International Aid thing, especially in regards to Palestinians, is a billion-dollar enterprise offering not only jobs to Westerners but also incredible profit opportunities.
So, Israel has no other choice. Of course, those of you believing the lies of Hamas and the dehumanization of Israelis and Jews in general can by all means continue to do so, overlooking the videos of Gazans sending Hamas to hell for what they did - hold on, not Israel?
But as a last point, be it the most unpopular in this text, I would urge you all sweet and sensitive souls to be more careful with this "Israelis kill Palestinian children" hysteria. It's a war. Israel issued multiple warnings for people to leave and Hamas forced them to stay at gunpoint and even shot at them. But you didn't care.
Good question; when were such warnings issued in the past?
Did Putin and Assad who did bomb hospitals on many occasions in Syria and slaughtered hundreds of thousands of civilians warn anyone? No. Did it happen in Iraq when the US and the West invaded? No. Did it happen in Yemen? Of course not. It never happened. Anywhere.
But Jews who did it are the bad ones, right?
And where were you when all the above-mentioned was going on?
It's not about the children of Gaza. If it was, you would have been shocked and infuriated when you learned that the majority of these brainwashed, brainwash their kids to become martyrs and publicly declare that this is the reason they bear so many. To make them warriors for Jihad and Allah. When the kids become teenagers eventually they will kill Jews and get killed while doing so. This is the most barbaric force of child abuse there is in the world. But you still couldn't care less. Criticizing them is not in fashion. And certainly doesn't make one look "kind" and "progressive" in social media
Israel is always to blame. The Jews are always to blame. Your indifference to reading history, facts not opinions and the deeply rooted antisemitic biases in everyone's heads is all you need.
So, to answer the first question once again. Will Hamas be revived somehow? Probably. Israel is struggling to survive because they have no choice. Many of their soldiers are getting killed. But they have no choice. Neither the majority of the Gazans nor the Palestinian Authority want a Palestinian State next to Israel. They still falsely claim that everything is theirs. That's why they turned down every single plan offered to them.
Israel has been a legitimate state since 1948, a pioneer state in science and progress against all odds. And it's fighting against this Islamist madness and barbarity and against their efforts to delegitimize it.
Every single one of us chooses a side in life and vis-a-vis history. If one chooses the side of those wishing to destroy it "from the river to the sea" and slaughter its people, one can live happily -I guess- with one's conscience. It’s his or her right no doubt about that.
And in all probability, the most that one deserves.
*Costas Constantinou is a journalist and columnist
