Re “Defeat Hamas to defeat Iran,” Opinion, Jan. 4
In maintaining that Israel is really fighting Iran in Gaza, not Hamas or the Palestinians, Yossi Klein Halevi and Michael B. Oren conveniently ignore the historical relations between Hamas and Iran. <
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-halevi4-2009jan04,0,3919516.story
>
Hamas arose during the first Palestinian intifada with its own philosophy and beliefs. Iran's initial offers of aid were spurned by Hamas' leadership as pure opportunism.
Today, Iran provides little more than lip service to Hamas' cause for its own propaganda efforts.
Even now, the Israeli government seems to be exaggerating Iran's role in order to create an enemy proportionate to Israel's hammering of the people of Gaza. It is despicable to cruelly smash a small, inadequately armed group of virtual prisoners.
William O. Beeman
Minneapolis
The writer is a professor and chair of the department of anthropology at the University of Minnesota.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
I watched your program on VOA and it was great
..."a small inadequately armed group of virtual prisoners" that day after day, year after year kept peaceful Israeli citizens fearing for their lives while Hams teach its children the hating of the Jew? If you think that Israel should have opened the border and let the suicide bombers walk the streets of Tel Aviv, you are a Jew-hater yourself. Israel and other countries have poured loads of money and other aid into Gaza, but Hamas bought weapons instead of baby formula. You speak the language of the Qassams, of the Grads, of the Iranian regime, of Hugo Chavez et all in your quest to demonize Israel.
Post a Comment