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submitted 11 months ago by Silverseren@kbin.social to c/world@lemmy.world

Israeli officials are facing backlash after years of Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu quietly allowing Hamas to remain in power.

But reporting in the New York Times has revealed that Netanyahu's government was more hands-on about helping Hamas: they helped a Qatari diplomat bring suitcases of cash into Gaza, indirectly boosting the militant organization, according to the report.

The calculus — the Times reported on Sunday, citing Israeli officials, Netanyahu's critics, and the man's own reported statements — was to keep Hamas strong enough to counteract the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, allowing Netanyahu to avoid a two-state peace solution and keep both sides weak.

Israeli security officials got it wrong; they didn't think Hamas was capable, or even interested, in launching a large attack against the Jewish state.

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[-] febra@lemmy.world 74 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I mean this isn't anything new. We've known this since at least 2015 when ex-IDF top brass officials that worked in Gaza during the occupation have come clean about it in interviews. And the motivation behind this is also logical. The palestinian authority was playing the white man's game. They were going through the UN, filing motions against Israel, passing resolutions, and so on. Hamas is much easier to deal with. They don't bother with all that civilised bureaucratic stuff, in part because no one recognizes them anyway. It's easier to drop bombs on Hamas than on PA officials and thus continue the illegal occupation. As the current Israeli president has put it in an interview before: "Hamas is an asset" for Israel. [1] They're easier to work with.

[1] https://theintercept.com/2023/10/14/hamas-israel-palestinian-authority/

[-] ours@lemmy.world 41 points 11 months ago

They fed a monster to destroy diplomacy and then act surprised when the monster mauled them.

[-] Daxtron2@startrek.website 49 points 11 months ago

Because it then gives justification to seize the land

[-] ours@lemmy.world 12 points 11 months ago

I doubt it was the initial plan but that certainly seems to be how they are rolling now. Now they have a solid casus belli to justify massive bombing on a population.

[-] Instigate@aussie.zone 3 points 11 months ago

It might be a bit naïve to assume that wasn’t the initial plan. I’m not sure which is the case, but I wouldn’t put it past the right-wing coalition parties to be knowingly creating an enemy to have them attack you so you can attack back with the force of a thousand suns. It’s a pretty smart plan, they’ve just bungled what they thought would be the international response because the West has always backed Israel 100% without a hint of criticism.

[-] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

Not quite. Hamas and Netanyahu are still quite comfortable. It creates a political situation they both want. The latter is "surprised" at all the innocent people the monster killed, but in reality they don't give a shit. The government gets to consolidate its strength and kill more people.

They're enriching themselves off the backs of the Palestinian and Israeli people.

[-] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 7 points 11 months ago

It clearly is not known by people who go "Israel is needs to defend itself against Hamas". It's an obvious contradiction if you know Israel funds Hamas, which means, considering Hanlon's razor, those people simply don't know any better.

[-] Tavarin@lemmy.ca 4 points 11 months ago

It wasn't Israel funds being smuggled in, it was Qatari funds. And how would it have looked if Israel blocked official Qatari aid to Gaza?

[-] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 5 points 11 months ago

If you want the technicality that it wasn't Israeli money then sure, but everyone knew what that money was for and Israel wasn't just complicit in handing it over, per the very article Israel actually lobbied in the US to not sanction Qatar. Furthermore Israel's finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has said "The Palestinian Authority is a burden, and Hamas is an asset" and Netanyahu has expressed similar sentiment "Anyone who wants to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state has to support bolstering Hamas and transferring money to Hamas"

The Israeli government wants to keep Hamas in power because when your opposition look like crazed lunatics it's much easier to seem like the sane one for running the worlds biggest open air prison.

[-] Tavarin@lemmy.ca 2 points 11 months ago

Of course they lobbied not to sanction Qatar. Once again how would it look to the world if Israel worked to deny aid to Palestine?

And I never said Netanyahu was a swell guy, he needs to be removed from power as well as Hamas.

[-] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 3 points 11 months ago

The whole idea that they wouldn't want to look bad that way is just stupid. They don't want to seem like they'd deny aid to Palestine but have no problem shooting peaceful protesters in Gaza? Or doing air strikes? Or having long-term blockade of Gaza which keeps the entire region is a perpetual humanitarian crisis? No, not allowing Qatar to send money to Hamas under the guise of giving the people money is a step too far.

Oh and Netanyahu is the one who wanted money from Qatar to reach Gaza, other politicians (outside of his influence) were against it. Think about it, why would someone who doesn't want Gaza to exist make sure that money reaches Gaza?

[-] Tavarin@lemmy.ca -1 points 11 months ago

Given the thousands of rockets fired at Israel by Hamas from Gaza every year, the international community is understanding of a blockade being put in place.

Denying the passage of aid across that blockade however would be seen as far worse.

And the current air-strikes are a result of a large scale attack against Israel, so they are seen by many as justified. Though you can see most of the world now sees Israel as going too far. Thus proving that Israel can only get away with so much before their allies drop off.

[-] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 2 points 11 months ago

Given the thousands of rockets fired at Israel by Hamas from Gaza every year, the international community is understanding of a blockade being put in place.

Is somehow understandable by the international community

Denying the passage of aid across that blockade however would be seen as far worse.

Not aid, money. And somehow not understandable by the international community despite the US verifying that the money sent goes to Hamas? So preventing funds for those rockets is not understandable by the international community?

[-] Tavarin@lemmy.ca 1 points 11 months ago

Money is aid. Money can buy food, and water, and whatever other supplies a state needs.

[-] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 1 points 11 months ago

If money is aid then money is also bombs, rockets, WMD parts etc. Money is just an object of exchange that may be used to buy aid. But it doesn't make it aid, just like it doesn't make it a bomb.

[-] Tavarin@lemmy.ca 1 points 11 months ago

But unlike sending food, it is non-perishable, and can allow a country to buy what it needs. Money is aid.

[-] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 0 points 11 months ago

In that case money is also bombs and it would actually make sense to prevent it from entering Gaza.

[-] Tavarin@lemmy.ca 1 points 11 months ago

And now you have an even worse humanitarian crisis, and a pissed off international community because you've denied aid to Gaza. Congrats, you're a terrible world leader.

[-] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 2 points 11 months ago

Actual aid is not prevent so nobody gives a fuck. Nobody also gives a fuck about every other action take by Israel that is deepening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Literally nothing would change for Israel, except Hamas wouldn't get that money.

Now before you continue your mental circlejerk to not accept being wrong remember, you're the one defending Netanyahu right now. He wanted that money in Gaza and he made sure it would make it there. If you want to keep defending Netanyahu, go ahead.

[-] Tavarin@lemmy.ca 0 points 11 months ago

Now before you continue your mental circlejerk

Pot, meet kettle.

Money is considered aid, always has been.

[-] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 0 points 11 months ago

I'm not the one ignoring larger points to focus on some irrelevant gray area. Once again, if you want to die on the hill of technicality go ahead, money is aid. Now unless you're going to address what I've already brought up multiple times kindly fuck off.

[-] Tavarin@lemmy.ca 0 points 11 months ago

Nope, because you fail to understand how Israel denying the movement of aid into Gaza would be a bad look for them.

And Netanyahu is still a piece of shit who needs to be removed form power, but not for allowing aid into Gaza.

[-] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 0 points 11 months ago

Luckily I don't need your agreement to get fucked, blocked.

this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2023
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