Hamas; a creation of Israel?

Surprisingly, the answer is yes.  The reasons make sense, in a historically inaccurate paradigm but produce no lasting positive results.

Did Israel create Hamas?

I do a lot of research because I love to learn, and I find the most interesting information by reading the comments at the end of articles. The variety and scope of peoples thinking (or lack thereof) always has me guessing as to what they really mean, and on occasion I learn something I did not know previously. One commentator claimed that Israel created Hamas and that stopped me cold. I thought, how is that possible and why would Israel create the very entity which demands its destruction? The answers, as I researched the idea were disturbing and not at all what I would have believed.

The 1970s and 80s were a turbulent time for Israel and the warring Islamic factions. Yassar Arafat and his Fatah (PLO) army presented themselves as secular and cooling to Israel’s existence, while Sheik Yassin and his Hamas group, formerly known as Mujama Al-Islamiya were recognized by Israel as a charity, and given all the perks inherit with being a charity. Israel used Hamas against Arafat and we, along with Israel went along. This marriage of convenience is not unusual, what is unusual is that after each debacle we don’t learn, and continue to support, with short term vision the enemies of our enemies.

The rise of Hamas as a militant and fundamental nationalistic organization began in earnest after the 1967 war. Before that they were more concentrated in rebuilding society, not actively trying to destroy Israel. It was after 1967, at the beginning of the false recreation of the land of Palestine that Hamas became the virulent anti-semitic society they are today. With the leaders of the refugees, including the Arab League making up their own history in order to de-legitimize the state of Israel, it was a natural for Hamas to join the growing chorus of hatred against Israel, their best interest regarding power and land rested in the hands of those who were rewriting history to suit their genocidal plans.

What Israel failed to take into account (by choice or by ignorance) was the Islamic dogma underlying Sheik Yassin’s long-term plans. It appears Israel had a very real worry about angering Islamists, and wanted to maintain the veneer of cooperation with Islam, yet they failed to understand that in Islam’s long view, they were the ones that would be forced into the same box they were trying not to get locked into. An act which, as we have seen has come back to bite them hard.

As we experienced in Afghanistan in the 1980s, supporting those who were the enemy of our enemy by giving the Mujahideen arms, logistics, ground and air support and training not just defeated the USSR, it also won us a little breathing room. Yet as with Hamas and Israel, we did not see the inherit long-term dangers of working with a group dedicated to killing all non-believers, and had been planning, for 1400 years the demise of its enemies and the creation of a world-wide caliphate. Israel does have a better grasp of the religiousity of Hamas and understands what drives them, but in the end Israel will not speak the truth about Islamic texts and tenets, for fear of “insulting” Islam and Muslims. By this method does she almost guarantee more fighting, wars and possibly her demise.

Whether or not Israel created Hamas is moot today. Debating the merits and responsibilities does not answer the core question; how to defeat Hamas both ideologically and militarily while maintaining the cohesion of the Islamic world. A difficult task, and one which Israel cannot do alone. The changes must come from within the Islamic community in the form of “ijtihad” which is the opening up of a debate forum designed to challenge, discuss and clarify Islamic dogma within the time period in which it exists. A reformation, if you will that will toss out the parts of the Qur’an that jihadists and Islamists use to justify their actions and uphold as right the calm and peaceful Qur’anic passages that enable Islam to coexist as an equal member of the brotherhood of man. Without this sea-change, Israel and the rest of the world will continue to experience the devastation of groups like Hamas, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Lashkar e-Talib and other Islamic supremacist groups whom hundreds of millions of Muslims support.

It does not surprise me to read the details of how Hamas came to be today, what disappoints me is that history has shown that this approach does not work yet we still believe we can use this tactic and not eventually be eaten by the alligator. As long as we continue to fool ourselves on the bedrock reasons of what the end desire for Israel is that comes from their enemies, we will always have to bury our dead. There is not enough room to bury them all. This must end, and soon.