{"id":282136,"date":"2024-02-20T06:55:22","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T06:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=282136"},"modified":"2024-02-22T07:35:19","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T07:35:19","slug":"no-the-palestinians-did-not-vote-for-more-terrorism-in-the-2006-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=282136","title":{"rendered":"No, the Palestinians Did Not Vote for More Terrorism in the 2006 Elections"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mike Whitney \u2013 The Unz Review Feb19, 2024<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Is this statement true or false: Israel is justified in flattening Gaza because the Palestinians elected Hamas in 2006 which proves they support terrorism.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. True<\/li>\n
  2. False<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The answer is \u201c2\u201d. The 2006 elections do not prove that the Palestinians support terrorism. Quite the contrary. What the polling data shows is that the majority of people voted on issues completely unrelated to terrorism. Here\u2019s what they voted for:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Safety and Security (37%)<\/li>\n
    2. Decreased Corruption (25%)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      What a surprise, eh? So, the Palestinians want the same thing that people want everywhere; More security and less corruption.<\/p>\n

      No one\u2014and I mean no one\u2014voted for Hamas because they thought the group would instigate more bloody confrontations with Israel. The fact that \u201csafety and security\u201d were the Number 1 issue, shows that there\u2019s no appetite for more conflict at all. Palestinians\u2014at least the majority of Palestinians\u2014want peace. That\u2019s what all the surveys tell us. Unfortunately, the media has tried to convince people that the opposite is true, that the people of Gaza voted for Hamas because they still cling to the idea of \u201cpushing the Jews into the sea.\u201d But that\u2019s just not true. See for yourself:<\/p>\n

      An exit poll conducted by Near East Consulting on 15 February 2006 on voters participating in the 2006 PA elections revealed the following responses to major concerns:<\/p>\n

      Support for a Peace Agreement with Israel:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      79.5% in support<\/strong>
      \n15.5% in opposition<\/p>\n

      Should Hamas change its policies regarding Israel: <\/strong>
      \nYes \u2013 75.2%<\/strong>
      \nNo \u2013 24.8%<\/p>\n

      Under Hamas corruption will decrease:<\/strong>
      \nYes \u2013 78.1%<\/strong>
      \nNo \u2013 21.9%<\/p>\n

      Under Hamas internal security will improve: <\/strong>
      \nYes \u2013 67.8%<\/strong>
      \nNo \u2013 32.2%<\/p>\n

      Hamas government priorities:
      \n1) Combatting corruption
      \n2) Ending security chaos
      \n3) Solving poverty\/unemployment<\/p>\n

      Now, I know that many people would like to scapegoat the Palestinians for the ghastly massacre that is going on today, but it just doesn\u2019t square with the facts. Palestinians voted for Hamas\u2014not because they thought the group was a perfect match with their own values\u2014but because they appeared to be less corrupt than the disreputable puppets in Fatah. Americans should be sympathetic to these feelings given the similarities between the 2006 Gaza balloting and the 2016 Presidential elections in the US. In the American election, many people voted for Trump\u2014not because they couldn\u2019t see he was a deeply-flawed candidate with no political experience\u2014but because his opponent was the most crooked and vindictive politician in American history. Trump was clearly the \u2018lesser of two evils\u2019, just as Hamas was the lesser of two evils.<\/p>\n

      But there\u2019s more to this story than most people realize. And, that is, that Hamas had ordered the complete cessation of suicide bombings more than a year before the election.<\/strong> Did you know that?<\/p>\n

      It\u2019s true; no more suicide missions, no more blown-up buses, retail shops and coffee houses. No more bereaved families, wailing mothers and endless funeral processions. It all stopped. And it stopped because Hamas stopped it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Did the voters in Gaza know that?<\/p>\n

      Of course, they knew that, and it\u2019s doubtful that Hamas would have won the election is the group had continued with the bombings. Because that\u2019s not what the \u2018average guy\u2019 wants.<\/p>\n

      And, guess what happened after the bombings stopped?<\/p>\n

      Then Hamas decided to enter the political arena.<\/strong> Again, this was a significant development that was downplayed in the media but sent tremors through the Israeli political establishment.<\/p>\n

      Why?<\/p>\n

      Because Israeli leaders put the two developments together and could see what was going on. Hamas was shifting its approach from armed struggle to a political track<\/strong>. That is a tectonic change in policy that represented a grave threat to Israel\u2019s broader Zionist strategy which involves the seizing of more land to form a Greater Israel.<\/p>\n

      But how was Israel going to seize more land if the Hamas boogieman had transformed himself into a dovish politician who no longer engaged in acts of terrorism?<\/strong> That is the conundrum that Israel faced.<\/p>\n

      It\u2019s also worth mentioning, that as soon as Hamas won the election, they declared a unilateral ceasefire with Israel<\/strong>. (which put even more pressure on Israel.) In other words, Israel continued the attacks on Gaza, but Hamas refused to respond.<\/p>\n

      Additionally, Israel imposed a suffocating blockade on Gaza that has persisted until today. And the reason they did this, was because the threat of \u2018peace breaking out\u2019 was too serious to ignore. If Hamas was going to pursue a peaceful political track, then Israel would have to increase the provocations, the incitements and the brutality. <\/strong><\/p>\n

      But, why?<\/p>\n

      Once again, it\u2019s because Israel needs a boogieman to justify its operational plan for territorial expansion. It\u2019s that simple.<\/strong> They can\u2019t simply take the land by force without first concocting a pretext that will conceal their real motive. So, even though everyone knows that Israel is expelling the Palestinians in order to control all the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, they still need to justify the operation in terms of a (fictitious) national security threat that they need to confront. Hamas, of course, is that fictitious threat that must be eradicated by turning all of Gaza into a smoldering pile of rubble.<\/strong> See how it works? Check out this brief excerpt from an article at Counterpunch<\/em> in 2007:<\/p>\n

      Hamas recently renounced violence by maintaining a unilateral ceasefire for well over a year. The same period saw a steady escalation of Israeli raids, arrests, killings, and settlements in the occupied territories. Everyone, including Israel\u2019s general staff, knows that Hamas would return to a ceasefire if it thought Israel were serious about reciprocating. Hamas leader-in-exile Khaled Meshaal\u2019s recent proposal for a 10-year ceasefire was summarily rebuffed. Pushing the Wedge in Palestine,<\/a> Counterpunch<\/em><\/p>\n

      Bottom line: The Palestinians voted for the wrong party, so the Palestinians had to be punished. That\u2019s not the way democracy is supposed to work.<\/p>\n

      And, what is particularly ironic about these developments, is that it was the United States that forced the elections to begin with. The Palestinians didn\u2019t care about elections. How were elections going to help them? No, it was the Bush Administration and their risible democracy-spreading agenda that forced the balloting. In fact, Bush and Co pumped $2.3 million into the Palestinian elections via USAID which was \u201callegedly designed to bolster the image of President Abbas and his Fatah party.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

      Interesting, isn\u2019t it, that we actually know how much money was spent meddling in a foreign election. And, yet \u2014even after all that meddling\u2014the plan failed. Hamas won anyway.<\/p>\n

      And that is when Israel freaked out. They said the elections proved that the Palestinians supported terrorism which\u2014as we\u2019ve already shown\u2014is not the case at all. The Palestinians did not vote for terrorism, they voted for security and honest government. The whole Israel-media narrative is a fairytale.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      But the critics are correct in saying that Hamas steadfastly refused to acknowledge \u201cIsrael\u2019s right to exist\u201d. That is true, but there\u2019s also an explanation. Here\u2019s more from James Brooks:<\/p>\n

      As for \u2018recognizing Israel\u2019s right to exist\u2019, we simply note that Israel has yet to recognize the state of Palestine\u2019s \u2018right to exist\u2019. Israel currently forbids a Palestinian state and negates the Palestinians\u2019 national rights daily with its strangling military occupation. Under the circumstances, it hardly seems unreasonable for Hamas to withhold recognition of this \u2018right to exist\u2019 until it is reciprocated in word and deed.\u201d (Counterpunch<\/em>)<\/a><\/p>\n

      He\u2019s right; why should Hamas make concessions to Israel that Israel won\u2019t make to Hamas? All Israel needs to do is accept UN Resolutions requiring it to stay within its 1967 internationally-accepted borders, and everything will be fine. Which brings us to the next point, which is; Is Hamas willing to live side-by-side with Israel in peace?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      And, the answer is: Yes, it is. <\/strong>This is from an article by Elaine Hagopian:<\/p>\n

      After Hamas won the elections in 2006, its leadership accepted a two-state solution based on the pre-war June 4, 1967 borders, but this was unacceptable to Israel<\/strong>. Earlier, Israel destroyed secular Fatah leader and Palestinian Authority President Arafat for failing at Camp David in July 2000 to comply with its demands to accept permanent Israeli control over Palestinian life and land confined in enclaves. Hamas became the new challenge to Israel\u2019s vision. Gaza: History Matters<\/a>, Counterpunch<\/em><\/p>\n

      Let me get this straight: Hamas accepts a two-state solution?<\/p>\n

      Yep, it sure does, in fact, here it is from the horse\u2019s mouth himself. This is a short excerpt from a Washington Post interview with Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in 2006. Haniyeh said that he wanted to see an end the \u201cvicious cycle of violence\u201d and vehemently denied the claim that \u201cHamas is committed to destroying Israel\u201d. He said, \u201cWe do not have any feelings of animosity toward Jews. We do not wish to throw them into the sea<\/strong>. All we seek is to be given our land back, not to harm anybody\u2026.We are not war seekers nor are we war initiators. We are not lovers of blood. We are oppressed people with rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Wa Post: \u201cWould Hamas recognize Israel if it were to withdraw to the \u201967 borders?\u201d<\/p>\n

      Haniyeh: \u201cIf Israel withdraws to the \u201967 borders, then we will establish peace in stages\u2026 We will establish a situation of stability and calm which will bring safety for our people.<\/p>\n

      Wa Post: \u201cDo you recognize Israel\u2019s right to exist?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Haniyeh: \u201cThe answer is to let Israel say it will recognize a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, <\/strong>release the prisoners and recognize the rights of the refugees to return to Israel. Hamas will have a position if this occurs.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Wa Post: \u201cWill you recognize Israel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Haniyeh: \u201cIf Israel declares that it will give the Palestinian people a state and give them back all their rights, then we are ready to recognize them.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Haniyeh\u2019s answers are straightforward and rational. He asked for nothing that isn\u2019t already required under existing United Nations resolutions; a return to the 1967 borders, basic human rights, and settlement of the final status issues. An agreement could be facilitated tomorrow if Israel was willing to conform to international law. Instead, Israel has chosen to invade Gaza. Here\u2019s more from Haniyeh:<\/p>\n

      \u201cWe want what Americans enjoy \u2014 democratic rights, economic sovereignty and justice. We thought our pride in conducting the fairest elections in the Arab world might resonate with the United States and its citizens. Instead, our new government was met from the very beginning by acts of explicit, declared sabotage by the White House. Now this aggression continues against 3.9 million civilians living in the world\u2019s largest prison camps. America\u2019s complacency in the face of these war crimes is, as usual, embedded in the coded rhetorical green light: \u201cIsrael has a right to defend itself.\u201d The Gaza Bloodbath,<\/a> Counterpunch<\/em><\/p>\n

      Here\u2019s a bit more on the topic:<\/p>\n

      In 2009, former President Jimmy Carter visited the West Bank and Gaza where he met with Ismail Haniyah, who he thought would be a reliable partner in future negotiations. Carter also met with Hamas Chief Khaled Meshaal in Damascus who assured the ex-president that Hamas would accept any agreement reached between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, provided it was approved by the Palestinian people in a national referendum. Carter\u2019s interaction with Hamas leaders disproved western pro-Israel pundits who had claimed that Hamas would never commit to such an agreement. They were wrong. Hamas wants peace.<\/strong> Here\u2019s a short blurb from an article in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency<\/em> in 2015:<\/p>\n

      Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Hamas leader Khaled Meshal is in favor of the peace process with Israel and that Hamas is not a terrorist organization.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Carter also told Israel Channel 2 on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not in favor of a two-state solution with the Palestinians.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u201cI don\u2019t see that deep commitment on the part of Netanyahu to make concessions which [former prime minister] Menachem Begin did to find peace with his potential enemies,\u201d Carter said.<\/p>\n

      Of Meshal, the ex-U.S. leader said, \u201cI don\u2019t believe that he\u2019s a terrorist. He\u2019s strongly in favor of the peace process.\u201d Carter added that he \u201cdeplored\u201d terrorist acts by Hamas and would support moderate members of the group. Jimmy Carter: Hamas leader favors peace, Netanyahu not committed to 2 states,<\/a> JTA<\/em><\/p>\n

      So, let\u2019s summarize:<\/p>\n

      Jimmy Carter wants a two-state solution based on UN Resolutions requiring Israel to stay within its 1967 internationally-accepted borders.<\/p>\n

      Hamas leader Khaled Meshal wants a two-state solution based on UN Resolutions requiring Israel to stay within its 1967 internationally-accepted borders.<\/p>\n

      Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh wants a two-state solution based on UN Resolutions requiring Israel to stay within its 1967 internationally-accepted borders.<\/p>\n

      So, what\u2019s the problem? It looks like everyone agrees.<\/p>\n

      But, no, Mr. Netanyahu doesn\u2019t agree, in fact, he is adamantly opposed to any Palestinian state within the area from the Jordan to the Sea. And Netanyahu not only has a powerful military machine to back him up, but he also has influential friends in Washington that will provide him with as many bombs and weapons as he needs to drive defenseless civilians off their historic homeland and into Egypt.<\/p>\n

      So, the peace process cannot move forward which means the bloodletting will continue for the foreseeable future. It is the great tragedy of our time. Here\u2019s one last excerpt from an interview between Alexander Cockburn and Khaled Meshal that took place in 2008:<\/p>\n

      I know very well that the American people are very kind people. But our problem is with the foreign policies of successive American administrations<\/strong>. We accepted a state of\u2026 Palestine on the borders of 1967. The international community failed to pressure Israelis to do the same. So, what is left for Palestinians to do, except resist? For our part, we prefer the peaceful path. But we find the peaceful path blocked. Hence, the Palestinians are left with no option but the resistance.<\/strong> And this is what explains why the Palestinian people elected Hamas and why, amid famine and hunger and siege inflicted on the Palestinian people today, you find the same thing: the Palestinian people are supporting Hamas\u2026. Alexander Cockburn\u2019s 2008 Interview With Hamas\u2019 Khaled Meshal,<\/a> Counterpunch<\/em><\/p>\n

      American president John F Kennedy reiterated these same sentiments in March 1962 at an address on the first Anniversary of the Alliance for Progress when he said:<\/p>\n

      Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.<\/p>\n

      Indeed.<\/p>\n

      Source<\/a><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Israel needs a boogieman to justify its operational plan for territorial expansion and the Zionist owned media has helped cast Hamas for the part. That\u2019s why the media don\u2019t dwell on the popular support Hamas retains or the fact that it ordered the ending of suicide bombings before the 2006 elections <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[118,61,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-282136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-7-10-gaza-war","category-Commentary","category-Israel_Anti-Semitism_Zionism_and_US-UK_allies"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=282136"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":282144,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282136\/revisions\/282144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=282136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=282136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=282136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}