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Let’s set the record straight on Hamas. Long ago that Palestinian group did write a charter calling for the elimination of the state of Israel. But at least two decades ago, top Hamas leaders were saying that they no longer felt bound by that part of their charter.
Instead, they called for an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza—the land that Israel captured by force in the Six-Day War of June, 1967. They agreed to a truce: the Palestinians would live peacefully alongside Israel, as long as Israel withdrew all its forces and settlers inside the pre-June ’67 borders. This is well-documented in Part II of this article: https://www.counterpunch.org/2
In 2017 the leaders of Hamas clearly reiterated this more moderate position, as documented here: https://www.aljazeera.com/news
When they spoke of “liberating their homeland,” Hamas leaders meant ending all forms of Israeli control and settlement in the West Bank and Gaza.
Sadly, the Israeli government and those who support its policies have ignored this more conciliatory Hamas position. They find excuses to repeat the falsehood that Hamas is dedicated to destroying the state of Israel. Why? One can only speculate. But the result is clear. They can avoid pursuing the goal that our own U.S. government says it wants: two independent states living side by side in peace.
Even more sadly, our own government now accepts Israel’s false claims about Hamas. Instead of insisting that the Israelis pursue genuine peace, our government uses our tax dollars to give Israel more weapons, which will kill more Palestinians and keep the cycle of war going. So my family members in Israel are forced to flee their homes in fear of attack, the result of a conflict that their government could have ended years ago.
