How the West is Duped

The latest coverage from Gaza, depicting people scrambling for bread that is being thrown through a window-sized porthole, says everything about Hamas taking every opportunity for a “photo call”, designed to maximise anti-Israeli sentiments in those countries who cannot abide the reality of war, and are blessed not to have to fight for their independence and security. But a closer look at the “undernourished” Palestinians would reveal a disconnect from the propaganda of alleged famine and the true state of affairs.

There is no inanition in Gaza! If one wants evidence of those who have suffered or are suffering from exhaustion, lack of vitality and starvation, then check out the authenticated footage of the millions who starved under Stalin’s rule between 1930-1933, those liberated from the Nazi death camps, the Ethiopian famine and the current plight of those in South Sudan. These are genuine examples of well-attested documentary evidence of mass starvation. If the Palestinians are starving, as is alleged by Hamas and the self-righteous western democracies, where is the evidence? Surely, knowing how Hamas takes every opportunity to demonise Israel, a veritable flood of footage would have been sent to all media outlets around the world. But, the naive West, or is that being too kindly, avoiding any sinister construction on its attitude toward Israel, chooses to accept whatever is propagated by Hamas, an organisation that creamed off most of the money sent to Gaza to improve the lives of the Palestinians, but used, instead, to buy weapons and build tunnels to store armaments, food stores and the best of everything. No doubt the same greed, motivated by an insatiable desire to achieve its political end, results in Hamas controlling the food supply to the people it purports to represent. Whether the West will wake up to the deception of what is a proscribed terrorist organisation will depend on the blinkers falling from the eyes of politicians who are concerned about the pressure from minority groups within their borders.

Over the last couple of months there have been encouraging signs the Gazans are beginning to see who is ultimately responsible for the destruction of their land. Demonstrations against Hamas have not been widely publicised but may well gain momentum as the Palestinians realise how they have been cheated. No doubt in the 2006 elections, when Hamas defeated the PLO, many people thought life would be better under the new regime. If they knew, or failed to read the political agenda of Hamas, they should have realised their hopes  for a better future would soon be dashed. They empowered a party that would rob them of the benefits of aid from the EU, see no future settlement with Israel, but rather a continuation of an armed struggle that benefits neither side. Palestinians deserve better, and the sooner they unite to oppose Hamas the sooner there will be a chance of a lasting peace. This can be facilitated by those Arab states that have normalised relations with Israel. They have a pivotal role to play in persuading moderate Palestinians to work toward peace rather than perpetuating the creed of hatred that is at the heart of Hamas’ doctrine. The West, for its part, has a role to play by encouraging the rejection of extremist policies. What is apparent from the views of Hamas and allied organisations is they have failed to move on; they are stuck with an outdated mindset that offers absolutely nothing for future generations of Palestinians.