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.

  • GoodEye8@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    13
    arrow-down
    6
    ·
    1 year 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
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year 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
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year 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
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year 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
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            1 year 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
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              arrow-down
              2
              ·
              1 year 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
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                1 year 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
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  1 year ago

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

                  • GoodEye8@lemm.ee
                    link
                    fedilink
                    English
                    arrow-up
                    1
                    ·
                    1 year 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.