Thoughts on Israel, Palestine, and Hamas

Shannon Bohrer

(6/2024) Last month’s column was Facts and Beliefs. How we form our beliefs that influence our perceptions, how we see and make sense of the world around us. The column concluded that sometimes strongly held beliefs can prevent a person from accepting new information that challenges those beliefs. Meaning that our strongly held beliefs can sometimes act like blinders.

This month’s column is about our perceptions of the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, Israel's response to the attack, the plight of the Palestinians, and the protests on college campuses and in other countries. We should take into consideration the history of Israel, Hamas, and Palestine. The issues and problems in Israel, Hamas, and Palestine are long-standing affecting the region and beyond. The latest conflict, in the context of history, is just one of many in the continuum of disputes in the region.

I support the demonstrators and their cause, which is a free Palestine. I also support the two-state solution, supporting both Israel and Palestine. That does not mean condoning the violence and destruction of property at the demonstrations, nor do I support the mass bombing and destruction of Palestine by the Israeli Defense Forces. And I strongly condemn the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which provoked the conflict.

In our country, we have a long history of protest, and the freedom to protest should be protected and upheld. Conversely, destroying property and harassing those who have other views or are of other nationalities or religious beliefs should not be tolerated. When demonstrators destroy property and vilify protesters with an opposing view, they diminish their message. While a free Palestine seems to be the center of most of the protesters, the question that needs to be addressed is how that can occur. What conditions need to exist - for a free Palestine to follow?

Israel’s history includes the fact that it has been at war with its neighbors and other countries and groups, almost on a continuum since its inception as a state. And yet, there has also been a continuum of peace proposals and negotiations with Israel and its neighbors. An early peace negotiation with Israel was with Egypt. The 1979 Camp David Accords formalized the peace between Egypt and Israel. Egypt's president, Anwar Sadat, was instrumental in the negotiations and was later assassinated in 1981. The assassination was carried out by "Islamist extremists who opposed his policies, particularly his peace treaty with Israel." Opposition to peace with the state of Israel has a long history.

In 1993, interim agreements of peace were made between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. That was the start of the Oslo peace process, which included the recognition of the State of Israel by the Palestine Liberation Organization. In return, Israel would recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization as the representative of the Palestine people.

With the agreements, the Palestinian National Authority, a newly formed group, became the interim and limited governing authority for self-governance for the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank. This was a step in the creation of a two-state solution and self-governance for Palestine. There were negotiations on borders, Israeli settlements, the status of Jerusalem, and even the right of Palestinians to return. Peace and a two-state solution looked promising—but was never realized.

The Oslo peace process seemed to be moving in the right direction. Then, a significant impediment in the process occurred when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabine was assassinated in 1995 by an Israeli extremist group. There were extremists on both sides and strong opposition to peace on both sides. Once again, a leader with the intention of making peace between Israel and their neighbors - cost that leader his life.

However, after the assassination, the peace process continued but eventually failed at the Camp David Summit in 2000. The failure occurred when Yasser Arafat refused the proposed peace deal. President Bill Clinton told Yasser Arafat, "You are leading your people and the region to a catastrophe." A common belief was that Yasser Arafat would probably have been killed if he made a lasting peace with Israel. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabine's assassination put a cloud over the Oslo Peace process and even future negotiations.

Hamas, the governing party in Palestine, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and started the current hostilities. Hamas was founded in 1987 after the first intifada. Hamas’s charter promotes Palestinian Nationalism with the goal of "establishing the Palestinian state throughout the entire territory." Their long-term goal is to have one state where both Israel and Palestine currently exist.

In 2006, Hamas campaigned on good government and the right of Palestine to govern itself against the Israeli occupation. In 2007, Hamas replaced most of the Palestinian Legislative Council and took control over the Gaza Strip. Since 2007, Hamas has been the primary governing body of Palestine; they govern by fear and intimidation. As a government, they offer very little services and generally act like a crime family, doing whatever they want. Palestinians who have protested have been threatened and have even disappeared.

Hamas is considered a terrorist organization and affiliated with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both groups, along with several others, are deemed Iranian proxies. While Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, both Hamas and Hezbollah have been firing rockets into Israel. Since the attack on Israel by Hamas, an estimated 9,500 rockets have been fired into Israel, including the estimated 3000 that were fired on the first day, October 7.

For Palestine to become free, Israel and Hamas would have to negotiate, two avowed enemies that do not trust each other. That does not mean that the demonstrations and other nations should not condemn what often appears as indiscriminate bombing in Palestine. It is estimated that over 30,000 Palestinians have died because of Israel Defense Forces bombings. Adding to the tragedy is the isolation and starvation of Palestinians. It is a common belief that death and starvation are helping Hamas, which may have been their goal when they attacked Israel.

The protests have been successful in bringing attention to the tragedy, but the protesters have also added to the problems. While protesters display signs saying, "Free Palestine," other protesters have displayed signs that support Hamas. Other signs include "From the river to the sea," which is a phrase describing the future state of Palestine, with no state of Israel. Assaulting and shaming Jewish students is not helpful. Conversely, numerous Jewish students have supported the demonstrations, demonstrating that supporting Israel and Palestine does not have to be a binary choice.