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Essay

Hamas Dedicated To Use
Of Civilians As Shields

T

he latest cease-fire aside, Hamas
remains a terrorist organization
to the core, beginning with its
charter, which calls for Israel's destruction.
Consider further a Hamas training manual
seized by Israeli forces. It tells Palestinians
living under Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip
how to build and store bombs.
So much for Hamas changing its politi-
cal and morality stripes under the cease-
fire Egypt brokered on Aug. 25.
The guidebook reinforces how Hamas
strategically puts civilians in harm's way
as human shields to draw Israel into firing
on schools, mosques, hospitals and homes,
thus creating a public relations nightmare
and a moral quandary for the Jewish state.
Because of this successful strategy,
Israel has been blamed for hundreds of
civilian casualties since the July 8 start
of Operation Protective Edge even when
airstrikes ignited Hamas-stored munitions
burrowed in civilian areas.
The manual not surprisingly states
it is Hamas' intent "to transfer combat
from open areas to built-up urban areas,
which serves the [Hamas] 'resistance' and
fighters of Islamic Jihad," reports Steve

Emerson's Washington-based Investigative
Project on Terrorism. The manual urges
jihadists to favor private residences to dis-
rupt Israeli intelligence gathering and keep
the "infidel Zionists" guessing.
According to an Israeli military trans-
lation of the manual's section titled
"Factors for Successfully Hiding Weapons
in Homes:' the Al Qassam
Brigades, Hamas' military
wing, recommends:
• Hiding weapons with
secrecy and with no military
character.
• Hiding weapons amid
household items.
• Hiding weapons with the
aid of collaborative residents.
Clearly, Hamas is committed
Rober
to indiscriminate rocket fire
Contri
into Israel to maximize casual-
Ed
ties and mayhem. The training
manual underscores how fer-
vently Hamas has considered terrorizing
Israel in hopes of breaking the ancestral
Jewish homeland's so-far iron will to not
just survive, but also prosper. Israel has no
choice but to defend its citizens and land.

Hamas hosts a terror-teaching summer camp for
100,000 campers ages 12-16. Guerrilla training in
camouflage fatigues and green berets helps mark this

Hamas, not Israel, has
endangered Gaza civilians.
ritual of ideological indoctrination against Israel.
Need further evidence?
An Aug. 17 speech by a
and the E.U. [European Union] force Israel
Hamas senior official made it crystal clear
and Egypt to open Gaza's borders, they
that lifting the blockade of Gaza, intended
will enable Hamas to achieve strategic
to curb weapons smuggling into the mili-
and political stability in Gaza. As a con-
tant-controlled strip, won't absolve Israel.
sequence, a post-war Gaza will quickly
According to a translation
become a local version of Islamic State-
by the Washington-based
controlled Mosul [in northern Iraq].
Middle East Media Research
"In the first instance, such a develop-
ment will render life in southern Israel too
Institute, Sami Abu Zuhri said
in a speech on Hamas' Al Aqsa
imperiled to sustain. The Western Negev,
TV: "The time has come for
and perhaps Beersheba, Ashkelon and
-- us to say that our true war
Ashdod, will become uninhabitable.
is not aimed at opening the
"Then there is Judea and Samaria. If,
border crossings. Our true war
as the U.S. demands, Israel allows Gaza
is aimed at the liberation of
to reconnect with Judea and Samaria,
Jerusalem, Allah willing:'
in short order Hamas will dominate the
Jerusalem Post columnist
areas. Militarily, the transfer of even a
Caroline Glick, a cogent far-
few of the thousands of rocket-propelled
right thinker, put it this way
grenades Hamas has in Gaza will imperil
in an Aug. 21 post: "Hamas
military forces and civilians alike:'
is ideologically indistinguishable from
Realistically, it's a pipedream to imagine
Islamic State [ISIS]. Like Islamic State,
Hamas, whose Al Qassam Brigades totals
Hamas has developed mass slaughter and
30,000 heavily armed, highly trained
psychological terrorization as the primary
and deeply indoctrinated terrorists, ever
tools in its military doctrine. If the U.S.
becoming a peace partner.

❑

uovernor Stands With Israel At Muslim Forum

S

peaking before the Islamic
Society of North America
(ISNA), which is believed to
have ties to terrorist organizations,
Gov. Rick Snyder boldly said Israel has
a right to exist.
We expected nothing less from a
governor with strong Jewish support
and who has visited the Jewish state
to advance business and investment
interests.
Snyder spoke Aug.
29 during the opening
plenary of the annual
ISNA convention,
this year in Detroit.
Steve Emerson's
Washington-based
Investigative Project
on Terrorism previ-
Gov. Snyder
ously chronicled
financial ties between ISNA and
Hamas, the U.S.-, European Union- and
Israel-declared terrorist organization
ruling the Gaza Strip. ISNA strongly
denies the ties.
It's an ISNA tradition to invite the
governor of the state where the con-
vention is being hosted to extend
greetings. ISNA shouldn't expect

all

46

September 11 • 2014

Snyder or any governor with integrity
to sugarcoat remarks.
Snyder could have rejected the invi-
tation to speak, citing the host group's
shadowy ties despite ISNA claims to
the contrary. He also could have cho-
sen not to share the speaker spotlight
with Jimmy Carter, an Israel basher
who has urged the U.S. to recognize
Hamas as a legitimate political group.
Instead, Snyder took the opportunity
before an influential Muslim audience
to share his hopes for peaceful coex-
istence between Muslims and Jews
in the religious cauldron that is the
Middle East.

In Response

The best ISNA could do to counter
Snyder's "insensitive comments"
about Israel's right to exist was
chastise him for not also supporting
Palestinian human rights "in light of
the recent massive deaths in Gaza due
to Israel's military campaign."
In a Sept. 2 news release, ISNA stat-
ed "speaker after speaker" at the con-
vention "made passionate speeches
about the plight and suffering of the
Palestinians and criticized policymak-

ers for their unjust policies toward
Palestine and others."
That assessment is skewed given
how Hamas maintains weapons instal-
lations in civilian areas while knowing
Israeli air strikes would claim civil-
ians as unwitting victims. Further, it's
deceitful to imply "Palestine" is a sov-
ereign independent state.

In Context

We're certain the governor supports
Palestinian human rights, as does
Israel and the majority of the Jewish
world. Decent Palestinians must
be distinguished from the terror-
ists among them. Much of the blame
for Palestinian oppression must fall
squarely on Palestinian leaders. They
subjugate their people to poverty
and turmoil, and to hate the "Zionist
infidel" in hopes that global political
pressure shatters Israel's spirit.
ISNA urged everyone to contact
Snyder's office to say "Palestinians
also have the right to exist [and] be
free on their land" and to urge "an
immediate end of Israeli Occupation."
Neither Israel nor the West ever
suggested Palestinians don't "have

the right to exist." Palestinians are
Arabs, and Arabs are the dominant
Middle East culture.
As for Palestinians being "free on
their land" and "an immediate end of
Israeli Occupation," two things must
happen. Palestinian leadership must
acknowledge the State of Israel's right
to exist, then engage in active, direct
negotiations with Israel over such
final-status issues as borders, secu-
rity, settlements, refugees, Jerusalem,
water rights and holy sites.
Too often, "free on their land" has
been interpreted as "destroy Israel,"
which Hamas' charter calls for. Israel
doesn't occupy Gaza. But along with
Egypt, Israel does control Gaza's bor-
ders; Israel has vowed to consider
easing restrictions if the latest cease-
fire holds.
Israeli settlements and military
forces in the West Bank, meanwhile,
are subject to negotiation between
Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
So are West Bank checkpoints and the
security barrier.
In retrospect, Gov. Snyder made
the most of a difficult speaking
engagement.

❑