From Israel National News, a/k/a Arutz Sheva (Channel 7) we read that Economics Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) strongly opposes the push for Israel to agree to Hamas's economic demands, which would include paying the salaries of Hamas officials working against Israel politically and militarily in Gaza.
"Over the last day, reports have surfaced that Israel has agreed to finance Hamas's officials in Gaza," Bennett fired. "This is a dangerous euphemism. This is political protection money: you pay us, then we'll shoot you later; you don't pay us, then we'll shoot you right now."
The money will inevitably go toward rebuilding terror tunnels, and manufacturing or importing missiles, Bennett said.
The comments were part of an article heded "Bennett Slams 'Calm for Cash' Formula in Talks with Hamas"
The article continued:
On Sunday, the Palestinian news agency Sawa revealed that Hamas was able to funnel millions of dollars into Gaza over the past two months despite the IDF campaign - and that two months' salary was paid in full to its terror "military wing," the Al-Qassam Brigades, in the early hours of Sunday morning. Additional funds will also be paid to Hamas government officials.
Analysts suspect that the funds - which seemingly appeared out of nowhere - may have been procured, at least in part, from Saudi and United Arab Emirates (UAE) donors.
A little history
The U.S. (mostly) pumped money and technology into Germany and Japan (and the rest of non-Communist Europe and Asia as well) after World War 2.
Germany had murdered millions of civilians (Note 1) while Japan is alleged to have murdered at least 300,000 civilians (Note 2).
While leaders of both Germany and Japan dreamed of world domination, once defeated they accepted the new status quo and acquiesced to the victors' demands (disarming, etc.).
In return, and as an act of good faith, the U.S. helped rebuild the former enemies' countries. The fact that this eventually might (and in fact did) cost the U.S. a number of industries and thousands of jobs was ignored in the rush to "buy" the former enemies' good will.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE between the Germans and Japanese and Hamas.
The difference is that - at least for the moment - the Germans and Japanese abandoned their plans for world domination.
Hamas, despite its losses, still has as its sole goal the destruction of Israel and the elimination of all non-Muslims of their variety from the region. Hamas, like Iran, envisions a world dominated by Muslims if not populated only by Muslims.
To ask Israel to fund ANYTHING in or for Gaza while Hamas is present - for its presence means it is in power; it has the guns and money - is foolish. For Israel to fund anything in Gaza without eliminating Hamas and any lingering anti-Israel feeling is STUPID.
It should be sufficient that Israel provides - at the Israeli taxpayer's expense - medical treatment in Israel for Gazans. It would be enough that Israel provides electricity and water to Gaza, which Gaza is supposed to buy. It should be enough that Israel allows all manner of materials to cross its border with Gaza.
It not only is enough, it's more than an enemy who refuses to give up his demented ways deserves.
The people of Gaza elected Hamas as their leader. The people of Gaza apparently have neither the will nor the capability to replace Hamas, peacefully or otherwise. (Hamas has shown, in its takeover of Gaza from the PA, that removing it from power will not be a peaceful transition.)
Before anyone pressures Israel - from inside or outside or the country - to fund ANYTHING in or for Gaza thinking it will buy peace with Hamas as the U.S. dollar bought peace with Germany and Japan, they should revisit post-war Germany and Japan and see how the idea of world dominion was abandoned while in Gaza today, Islam's scheme to dominate the world is alive, if not well.
There is a difference.
Note 1
From ukemnde.com, the Ukrainian Community In Montreal:
Ukrainians 5.5 - 7 million
Jews (of all countries) 6 million +
Russian Civilians 2 million +
Poles 3 million +
Yugoslavians 1.5 million +
Gypsies 200,000 - 500,000
Mentally/Physically Disabled 70,000- 250,000
Homosexuals Tens of thousands
Spanish Republicans Tens of thousands
Jehovah's Witnesses 2,500 - 5,000
The list does not include an estimated 3.3. million Russian POWs
Note 2
According to a Wikipedia entry titled Japanese war crimes, R. J. Rummel, a professor of political science at the University of Hawaii, estimates that between 1937 and 1945, the Japanese military murdered from nearly 3 to over 10 million people, most likely 6 million Chinese, Indonesians, Koreans, Filipinos and Indochinese, among others, including Western prisoners of war. According to Rummel, "This democide [i.e., death by government] was due to a morally bankrupt political and military strategy, military expediency and custom, and national culture." According to Rummel, in China alone, during 1937–45, approximately 3.9 million Chinese were killed, mostly civilians, as a direct result of the Japanese operations and 10.2 million in the course of the war.[60] The most infamous incident during this period was the Nanking Massacre of 1937–38, when, according to the findings of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, the Japanese Army massacred as many as 300,000 civilians and prisoners of war, although the accepted figure is somewhere in the hundreds of thousands.
yohanon dot glenn at gmail dot com
