Hamas official: Israeli settlers are a legitimate military target
Member of Hamas' politburo says settlers posses more than half a million automatic weapons, as well as being regularly supported by IDF troops.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Israel news Hamas Gaza Middle East peaceIsraeli settlers in the West Bank are legitimate targets since they are an army in every sense of the word, a senior Hamas official told the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper on Saturday, adding that Palestinians were still committed to an armed struggle against Israel.
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Israel police and IDF troops at the scene of the West Bank shooting on Sept. 1, 2010. |
| Photo by: Emil Salman |
The comment by Ezzat al-Rashk, a member of Hamas's political office, came in the wake of recent attacks against Israeli citizens in the West Bank.
On Tuesday, four Israelis were killed when unknown assailants opened fire at a vehicle they were traveling in near the West Bank city of Hebron. The following night, two Israelis were wounded in a similar shooting attack at the Rimonim Junction near the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Earlier Thursday, Palestinian sources told Haaretz that the Palestinian security forces had apprehended two Hamas-affiliated Hebron residents suspected to have been involved in the deadly shooting attack on Tuesday.
The attacks coincided with the launch of U.S.-sponsored direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians in Washington. The Islamist Palestinian group Hamas has come out vocally against the talks. Claiming responsibility for Tuesday's and Wednesday's shootings, Hamas vowed to carry out further attacks.
"Attacking settlers is a natural thing," al-Rashk told Al-Hayat on Saturday, saying the "Zionist settlers are the occupation's first reserve military force."
"They are now a real army in every sense of the word, with more than 500,000 automatic weapons at their disposal, on top of the basic protection by the [Israel Defense Forces]," the Hamas official said.
Al-Rashk also referred to the ongoing attempt to relaunch talks between Israel and the PA, saying they were noting more "than a media circus through which the U.S. administration wants to market its policy."
Another Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, the organization's Lebanon spokesperson, told the London-based newspaper that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was willing to forfeit "99 percent of the Palestinians' rights, saying negotiations were over before they even began.
The comments by the two Hamas strongmen came as a Qassam rocket was fired by militants from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, exploding in an open field in the western Negev. No injuries were reported.
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You will never have peace with Islamists. It's either their way or the highway(death). Israel holds Judeo -Christian values and beliefs and this alone will not be tolerated by Hamas. Isreal needs to stand strong against the worldwide Islamization.
The are losing popular support - may be the siege is working. They are terrified of a peace deal
All palestinian settler are legitimate military target
It took three days for the Haaretz editorial board to prepare that quote for Hamas. They're slacking
This type of rationalization coming from Hamas is indicative of why the Quartet continues to isolate them from diplomatic negotiations and Israel's concern if Fatah reconciles with them. They never relinquished violent means nor understood how to become a political party. I remember my father's hesitation about the Israeli government's act of permitting the Hamas organization to participate in the Palestinian elections. He said to me, " Believe me, they (Hamas) are smarter than Abbas." He meant more or less street smarter or manipulating the Palestinian population to follow their modus operandi of getting their way through terror. Unfortunately my father, who passed away to cancer last autumn 2009, was correct. These extremists are not ready intellectually or emotionally to accept that the Jewish state is to be accepted within the Middle East neighbourhood of nations.
1) Unarmed civilian settlers are not legitimate targets according to Islamic rules for war 2) Unarmed civilians receiving rockets on their homes are not legitimate targets according to Islamic rules for war There are very strict rules for war in Islam, and Hamas is transgressing a number of them. Not acceptable and also a great sin
While settlers are not part of the military which enforces the occupation and can legally be resisted, the settlers are the arm of the state which actually commits land robbery. The settlers' presence in the occupied territory is illegal according to international law, so they are legitimate targets. It is interesting that Hamas is trying to take cover under international law. It was not always the case, but since Cast Lead that's what they are doing, even denying Qassam launches against civilians. Of course, when push comes to shove, they will resort to overt terrorism again, such as hitting civilians in Israel if they can.
it looks like the settlers should now shoot at all Palis first then ask questions if they are still alive.
Let us make a few observations: 1.The Hamas attacks took place in the West Bank, not in Israel proper; 2. The victims were settlers (due to the location); 3. The attacks were not of the sophisticated variety: No car bombing, IED, or home penetration, only an easy to accomplish "drive-by shooting". How does one explain this lack of sophistication on the part of Hamas, the experts in bomb making?It was not for lack of time to plan the attacks, since the peace process was known to get restarted for about a month now. The simple answer is that Hamas is greatly weakened in the West Bank, due to the many arrests following their military wing becoming illegal in the PA. And Hamas couldn't make it to Israel proper since the 'security fence" has been completed (despite resistance by the settlers to its very existence. CONCLUSION: Things are working quite well, thank you. And once the settlers leave the West Bank, Israel has the way to prevent terrorist penetration into its area. Let Israel hurry up with the peace process and save those settler fanatics from harming all of us financially and diplomatically, and harming themselves physically.
Hit them in the morning. Hit them at noon time. Hit them in the evening. Hit them at night. Hit them in their sleep.Never let them sleep.Turn off the electricity.Turn off the water. Let them drink from the Sewers of Gaza. Arafat's words spoken to his people.One year & 8 months before he died of V.D.
Americans used parallel logic to justify the unrestricted firebombing of Japan during the Second World War. It was wrong then, and it is wrong now. It violates the Geneva Conventions and it is simply poor foreign policy. It does not surprise me in the least that Hamas would use the same flawed logic to justify their immoral behavior.
Why is this even news? Everyone knows it's a terrorist organization.
They are getting desperate as are their useful idiots who defend their actions.
The sudden upsurge in violence by Hamas has only one aim: to torpedo the peace talks. Analogous to that is the resumption of settlement building, it up to the moderates on both sides to continue with the peace talks which frankly I don’t hold up much hope for. In this conflict the middle ground is a minority while the extremist on both sides of the divide constitute the majority. The Israeli want the Palestinians to have some Mickey mouse state while the Palestinians want everything they have been unable to get using the ‘resistance’ for any chance of a peace agreement the ‘street’ on both sides will have a lot of bitter and painful ‘peace pills’ to swallow. Over to you Dr. Obama.
that a lot of people and countries
The Hasbara always comes up a penny short of a shilling.
Hamas are right about dictator PA selling out the Palestinian people's rights. But Hamas needs to recruit PR savvy people who can explain why non-violent BDS struggle is the only way to win and why violent attacks on settlers just hurts the Palestinian cause.
Hamas hastens the day when there will be an all out war between Israel and Arabs, which will end when the survivors of one side escape. If the winners are Arabs, the get a modern country on a platter. If the winners are Israelis, the Arabs can start a new successful life in Jordan.
BDS is a movement hiding behind nice & 'correct' language while their one clear objective is the end of the state of israel, ie as a jewish state (even in its most liberal form). BDS activist, don't be such a living contradiction, talking about being 'dictatorial' & mentioning hamas in the same one breath, & what on earth is a BDS activist doing on an israeli website, arguing for which way is the one 'to win'??!!!
And Hamas aren't dictator's? What rights have the PA sold out? Under which gov't would you rather live?
that ALL of jews living in the Palestine are legitimate targets. Now only the settlers are? That Hamas suck. They don't know what they realy want... :PP
in case, someone didn't know...
Targeted elimination of operatives must be re activated. The talks with PA should not be a restraining factor. If PA, decides to walk out of talks in case elimination takes place so be it.
Judging by teh number od talking heads form hamas and hiow tehy speak of killing settlers, and obama plan and peace, I think they are deathly afraid that a deal may indeed be reached. What hamas needs to remember is that those same half million automnatic weapons can be loaded and turned on hamas easily. But that is tehn excuse this month they use to justify their attacks on unarmed men and women. Really who cares what hamas says or does. Bibi will pay back hamas, it will be painful for them, and once teh targetted killings resume, their leaders can once again go to ground and live their lives in the sunless basements of gaza. Wondering when some 2000 pounfd bomb will tear their world apart. hamas is losing control and needs reasons to justify its existence. Regular gazans dont support hamas anymore, they are tired of killing abnd being homelss and their stanf]=dard of living that hamas has brought them. hamas is a has been entity. A wash up as it were. doomed like the dodo bird
And I remember your reaction when IDF took it as a legitimate military target,lefty.....
When citizens are carying weapons organising themselves in groups and this is approved by their government , these people are member of a militia. So they are a legitimate target for their opponents. If these settlers are peacefull why do they cary weapons and why are they are establishing themselves in territories which don't belong to them?
They're heavily armed, protected by the military, and are allowed to run amok destroying homes and towns and assaulting locals, and they're essentially part of an occupying force. Of course, Hamas is the second worst thing for Palestine after the occupation, but you can't really argue with the guy on this particular point.
A pregnant women sitting in the back seat of a car is a legitimate target? Is your hatred of Israel and Jews so deep that it blinds you to the immorality of this?
Settlers choose to live in the west bank and are part of a governmentally-funded occupying force. Gazans don't have a choice about where they live. The difference is pretty obvious.
- (ie would be). isn't gaza one huge military camp? & how come most of the gazans haven't at least tried to escape gaza through the tunnels? on their own terms, hamas can never argue /complain that their civilians are being hit. actually everybody knows that in their view every israeli is & always has been a legitimate target. being apt at the language game, they just twist & change the wording according to time & circumstance. (i emphasize that i don't share the above thinking in any way, just pointing out where the logic of it leads.)
Covard barbarians which will not stop their terror until they are completely overthrown - either by their own people (very unlikely) or by military means. Hamas itself will soon or later force Israel to implement the second option with determination.
The settlers are committing a war crime by being there. The whole world is standing by and aiding Israel commit a war crime. What else can Hamas do? Turn to the "international community" to "mediate" - with all of the Jewish diplomats and power brokers who obviously have no bias at all. If you leave people with no option but to turn to violence, then they will turn to violence. So in the end, Hamas are only doing what Israel wants. Because Israelis are not stupid - so they must know that they are leaving no options but for violence. Probably all part of the sick plan.
They are better matched to unarmed pregnant woman. Why do you think they force their woman into bee keeper outfits. They Are afraid of them
Even though I think violence should not be an option in all cases, I agree with the fact that settlers are legitimate targets. Why? Because these settlers most often and perhaps all the time, are equipped with Uzis or M16. Therefore they are armed people and I assume you that these are constant threat to Palestinians in the westbank. Also, where do these people? They live at the heart of the westbank, a territory that is international recognized to be occupied. This occupation, supported by the IDF, is allowing settlers to steal land, attack Palestinians, burn their farms, and sometimes they free their bigs to run in the Palestinian neighborhoods causing provocation. Do no also forget their extreme ideologies (they even call westbank Jahuda and Samaria). Generally, those settlers are dangerous people and they should be transferred to Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities. In doing so, neither Hamas nor any Palestinian will argue against them and I am confident that this will relief the IDF from many problems caused by settlers. This is the sad reality we have with settlers which is not meant to justify attacking them, but to emphasize and to focus the light on their side effects.
and exactly what they wanted. Then their army of useful idiots go to work for them. Hamas leaders boast of using their women and children.Thats their POLICY !
IDF was shooting at women and children, shooting a bounded Palestinian and making home video's of Palestinian prisioners. In the recent raid at the Gaza the IDF didn't like to enter the Gaza, therefore they bombing houses and school. Not to forget the fosfor. How's a coward and a criminal?
This is true, obviously.
There are nowhere near 500,000 automatic weapons. This would mean every two year-old has an automatic weapon. Absurdity from the murderous thugs. Secondly, whatever weapons the Settlers possess are for defensive purposes. Prior to these arms, Hamas murdered Jews with impunity. Settlers never shot up Arab cars randomly. The fact that the Settlers MUST live in armed, gated communities while the Arabs roam freely tells you who the aggressor is. Who is forced to drive armor-plated cars and buses ?? Hamas has no value for innocent life and must be marginalized. Their cruelty must be liquidated.
were not travelling or behaving like an army. Stick to what you DO know,hiding dirty money.
oh how stupid. so if iranian national guardsmen enter israel while whistling a tune with their hands in their pockets the IDF would...not shoot them? Colonists bent on stealing other people's land are legitimate targets, regardless of what they might be doing at a particular moment.
Author of the following statement was none other than Shamir---leader of the Jewish terrorist gang. ""Neither Jewish ethics nor Jewish tradition can disqualify terrorism as a means of combat. We are very far from having any moral qualms as far as our national war goes. We have before us the command of the Torah, whose morality surpasses that of any other body of laws in the world: "Ye shall blot them out to the last man." We are particularly far from having any qualms with regard to the enemy, whose moral degradation is universally admitted here. But first and foremost, terrorism is for us a part of the political battle being conducted under the present circumstances, and it has a great part to play: speaking in a clear voice to the whole world, as well as to our wretched brethren outside this land, it proclaims our war against the occupier." YS Yep no difference between them and the Hamas gang that Israel created through it,s State Terrorism against the Palestinians people. Do you ever give up posting unbalanced trollope.
"Neither Jewish ethics nor Jewish tradition can disqualify terrorism as a means of combat. We are very far from having any moral qualms as far as our national war goes. We have before us the command of the Torah, whose morality surpasses that of any other body of laws in the world: "Ye shall blot them out to the last man." We are particularly far from having any qualms with regard to the enemy, whose moral degradation is universally admitted here. But first and foremost, terrorism is for us a part of the political battle being conducted under the present circumstances, and it has a great part to play: speaking in a clear voice to the whole world, as well as to our wretched brethren outside this land, it proclaims our war against the occupier." YS
They also refused them repeatedly before that.. Colonists ?? ethnic cleansing Jews from Hebron where Jews have lived continuoiusly for millenia before the Arab invaders,does not make it Arab
and so are Hamas officials!
this means the people of gaza are ALL military combatants. next time we will not drop leaflets just kill everyone in our sites.
The gazans are not occupiers .
that's precisely what the IDF has been doing and keeps on doing.
sorry forgot this was Haaretz. german owned and anti israel... back to ynet or another israeli national paper... haaretz can have you anti israel bigots. do us a favour though.... since we israelis dont want them... let them open shop in eurabia where you live.... haaretz is your paper not israel's
The mass migration of Arabs into the area, including Gaza, started about 1890. Therefore, the Arabs are every bit as much settlers as Jews. Peace will only evolve when Arab culture of tribalism and violence undergoes a Renaissance. This could take many centuries.
is TErrOr. The Jewish farrmer in Judea and Samaria are exercising same right as those people in Belgium, France and Spain in living on historic homeland, the Basques are like the Palestinains and illegitimate claim of soveriegnity that never existed in historical fact. Ther never was a syae of Gaza or Palestine, just Israel which the ancient Romans renamed Palestine as punishment for defying Romes imposition of its immoral authority.
The UN can then reverse its decision or perhaps take a new vote in regards to Israeli statehood? It is after all a lot more recent then the roman decree.
as Judea and Samaria only the West bank .
Read your Bible and read up on the archeology of the holy Land. Judea and Samaria are mentioned in many inscriptions, Hebrew, Aramaic, Assyrian, Babylonian etc. No. Palestine. That's a Roman invention, to eraqse the name of the Jews from Judea after we revolted so many times.
no one but you religious, cultist, fanatics thinks the bible the basis for any sort of political settlement today. and even accepting your argument, what does it prove? 2000 years ago there was no Palestine? There wasn't a USA, either.
Never was---is not now and will not be.
Here's a clue..... it was called something else in Jesus' time. See, logic is so easy... You should try it....
So IDF and Settlers are also terrorists. Because they together have killed millions of children and women in Palestine in the last 60 years.
Well I guess you said it, Yonatan.
argument that Israel uses. But the fact is the settlers as Israeli citizens should not be residing in the occupied territories. It is illegal under International Law, and as such if they find themselves in the firing line they shouldn't really conplain. By living in the occupied territories they make themselves legitimate targets.
With his rubber stamp. Many think the Arabs should be in the firing line. The dwellers of Gaza shouldn't complain about Cast Lead. Their beloved thugs bought the war to their doorstep. Well Ivor, if the Settlers are legit targets, so are the Arabs. Why not shoot up every Arab car in the West Bank?? And I mean every. After all, they're legit targets.
The fact that the settlers' attempt to steal land is illegal does not make it OK for terrorists to kill civilians. That's like saying that citizens should have a right to execute drunk-drivers. BTW, the collateral damage argument does not work very well when the attacker deliberately targets civilians.
You simply define the colonizers as "civilians" and proceed from there. The colonizers are bent on taking palestinian land, they are heavily armed, backed by a disproportionately powerful army that doesn't hesitate to protect them, they have their own infrastructure and colonizer-only roads etc etc etc. That, tot me any many others, means they are no "innocent civilians" or any kind of "civilian" in this context. Your point about drunk drivers is not analogous, unless you meant hundreds of thousands of heavily armed drunk drivers who refuse to drive sober and who say it's their biblical right to run over pedestrians and otherwise commit vehicular manslaughter
If the French Resistance was legitimate in their attacks on the German Occupiers then the Palestinians are legitimate in targetting the Israeli occupier. If civilians are killed that is unfortunate but the settlers do not wear a uniform and hide behind Israeli citizens. Who shouldn't be driving around the occupied territories as it is a war zone. The argument might sound similar it is the argument Israelis use when civilians are killed by Israeli defence forces. If Israelis can use that argument so can I.
Settlers are not Israeli civilians they are actively involved in occupying land that is not theirs. If the French and Polish resistance were allowed to target their occupiers then so can the Palestinians.
if they continue like this, they will undermine totally the revenue from expat tourists who like going to the good Palestinian restaurants in the Westbank - in the present situation there is no chance of going to Darna as one might get shot for mistaken identity, ie. being taken for an Israeli Settler. They are really clever, these Hamas people, experts in making life on the other side - even worse and alienating support for Palestinians! Just keep digging your own grave...
that all gun owners are legitimate targets for criminals? Hamas must be put down like the sick dog that they are.
So you are saying if the IDF on patrol saw a Palestinian carrying a weapon they wouldnt put him down dead? I think you meant to say that there is one rule for Jews and anoither one for Arabs whether they be christians or muslims. Isnt that what you meant? Palestinians should lay down and die easy while the Jews "defend" themselves
the jews arent taking their guns into the gates of palestinian villages and murdering pregnant women and families. and lts please remember the distinction between hamas and palestinian. in contrast to that generalised claim to their being a distinction between jew and zionist. the question is, where us the weapon being carried and why? this is easy to base an inference on. use your logic
Settlers posses weapons and are supported by the IDF so it's legitimate to kill settlers. Love the logic there, Hamas. Say, Haniya, what about fetuses?
As you zionists always say.
The Settlers are the purest, friendliest people I have ever met. They're my heroes, for sure.
Because they steal land from its original inhabitants and land owners, the Palestinian's.
Wait until you meet up with palestinians...unless you find them unpure and invisible ?? Good old colonial times !!! right Gianni ?
Dress yourself as a Palestinian and walk into one of the many settlements. I'm sure you will talk different as far as you can talk after walking.
So when the Pals gets their demilitarized state in a year or so, the heavily armed settlers will then immediately start a new war against them. This would be like -47 all over again... That's not gonna happen - they'll just have to go.
When the Arabs stop shooting, there's no reason for arms. The arms are purely to defend against evil terror monsters,who kill pregnant women and 10-month old infants in their strollers.
by your logic, people should have the right to defend themselves against terrorists, right? So then, who are the terrorists? The Palestinians, who aren't allowed to have guns, or the settlers that are armed to the teeth with automatic weapons who steal land?
You mean as opposed evil terror monsters who kill them in their beds with one ton bombs and white phosphorous?
I F you check the record ( which of course you won't) you will find Israel has killed a great deal more Palestinian and Lebanese pregnant women and infants than they did.
If you look at our regions history of bloody wars since 1936; you would think that if this dispute was to be resolved it would not be by the way of the gun. Armed confrontations , armed struggle, armed resistance and all the dreadful variations of violence, have run their own course and failed to bring about a resolution. Now, the opportunity before us is to open a new page and try a new way, a more civilized way, to resolve the conflict. Let us give peace a chance.
involving all parties, including the duly elected government of Palestine, Hamas
until talking becomes obsolete
What part of never don't you understand. The only role Hamas has is terror and destruction. Their fate is to be destroyed. Even the fine Palestinian people would appreciate this.
out like it did in Northern ireland and Lebonon and the former Yugoslavia and other places. to bad there are still people who want to continue the violence like Hamas and Johan
Hamas does not want to participate in the civilized way of resolving conflicts. As soon as they are ready to be part of the solution not the problem I am sure they will be welcomed to join. In the meantime they want to take us back to violence and bloodshed, and we refuse, since variations of that have already been tried tested and exhausted. It did not bring us any peace.
There is no duly elected government of Palestine, because Palestine is a fantasy land. Hamas was elected in PA and came to power in Gaza after a civil war...
Kan, are the aborigines of Australia also a fantasy? How about the US Native Americans? Did somebody just invent their existence?