Hamas is the De Facto Government in Gaza

Smileless2012

Surely only a fool would believe otherwise AGA.

That’s right, call other people fools who may not agree with your point of view.🤬

And, if a peace deal and getting the hostages home was a priority for the Israeli Government, why then did they spend one of the last days of Parliament, before the recess, allowing the Settlers time in Parliament for that lobbying session, and then do a vote to annex the West Bank?
It should have been the hostage families getting their time and attention. They should have sent proper Negotiators to the peace talks.

Caleo

MOnica, I understand your POV. Nobody want to set a precedent for terrorists to be legitimised.

Do you not think that the urgency of the situation in Gaza justifies taking this risk?

No, because it would be totally unproductive and lead to more deaths not fewer. It is like paying money to a black mailer, they just come back for more. Negotiate with Hamas and you are opening Pandora's box, and millions more will be killed in many countries all round the world as terrorist groups and dictators claim the right to negotiaate on the behalf of people they have taken over illegally.

the way to stop is for Hamas and Israel to agree to a ceasefire. Then leaders of both groups should be arraigned before the International War crimes Tribunal at Den Hague.

Negotiating with terrorists is one thing, negotiating with terrorists as the representative government of a country is an entirely different thing.

It would be a waste of time because Hamas will do nothing unless the Israelis match them step by step and the Israelis....... I am sorry I cannot think of a single word to say about the Israeli government that is printable.

Surely only a fool would believe otherwise AGA.

I don't think Israel have any intention of doing a peace deal with Hamas. They pay lip service to the US to make it look as though they are trying but it's far from their true aims. .

Hamas are terrorists who care nothing for the Palestinians. Israel is committing genocide and guilty of war crimes and cares nothing for the Palestinians; not much to choose between them really is there but our country is supporting Israel.

It isn't true that the British gvernment were not involved in talks with the IRA- Thatcher was involved though it was all very hush hush for a while.

Nelson Mandela was condemned by Thatcher as a terrorist too.

Hammas at some time will have to come to the table, but no one will let them until they have taken away their aim of destroying the Israeli state, and Israel ceases its indiscriminate killing of women and children...

I cannot see that happening but hope I am wrong...

winterwhite

Hamas may be the only ‘government’ in Gaza but I didn’t think they were negotiating for peace, only pronouncing their terms for the release of the hostages. They are extremists with little or no interest in preserving life.

My naive question is why cannot the UN commission planes to drop food supplies into Gaza? There must be reasons or it would have been done, but are the reasons strong enough?

The RAF was dropping supplies into Gaza last year, along with other countries.
Led by the Jordanian Armed Forces, the international operation saw 9 nations and 14 aircraft drop essential aid.

Aid agencies say it was an inefficient way of delivering food and were against it. The Red Cross said that "Delivering sudden and unsupervised types of food to people who are malnourished or even starving can pose serious risks to life." Surely not as serious as dying of starvation?

As some aid agencies are failing to deliver due to many factors, I find that attitude strange.

Not all agree
"We need to bring food into Gaza any way we can. We should be bringing it by the sea," José Andrés, a chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, which has been sending food to Gaza, told ABC News.

"I don't think we need to be criticising that Jordan, America are doing airdrops. If anything, we should be applauding any initiative that brings food into Gaza."

Israel controls any aid getting into Gaza and denies there is a problem!
During a visit to Israeli troops in Gaza on Wednesday, Israel's President Isaac Herzog insisted his country was providing humanitarian aid "according to international law".

One in five children in Gaza City is malnourished and cases are increasing every day, the UN's Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa) says.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Unrwa Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini cited a colleague telling him: "People in Gaza are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses."

If any aid is getting through, it is not reaching those who are in desperate need.

winterwhite, your suggestion of air drops. It has already been tried. There were problems with crates falling into the water, and drownings, and other accidents.
Wasn't there also a plan to build a causeway, and deliver by boat?
Can't remember how 'supportive' the Israelis were at the time.

Good luck. I am sure it will work out.

Just for the record, Margaret Thatcher's government negotiated with the Provisional IRA and so did Tony Blair. The negotiations to agree the Oslo accords included Yasser Arafat who was widely accepted as being a terrorist. Several of Israel's Prime Ministers have been terrorists wanted for murder by the UK government. Terrorist groups are often the key to gaining a more lasting peace. You may not like it but history tells a different story.

Haud the bus, Annieb, I actually agree with you.

Maremia Fri 25-Jul-25 14:59:13
Think you have hit the mark, Lathyrus3, neither Hamas not Israel want peace,
I would go further, and say neither give a flying fig about the people of Palestine.

Hamas is government of Gaza , Hamas didn’t give a flying fig
about the people of Israel in their terrorists attacks on Israel 7th October 2023

Hamas may be the only ‘government’ in Gaza but I didn’t think they were negotiating for peace, only pronouncing their terms for the release of the hostages. They are extremists with little or no interest in preserving life.

My naive question is why cannot the UN commission planes to drop food supplies into Gaza? There must be reasons or it would have been done, but are the reasons strong enough?

Just as a point of information, does anyone know of a State/Country that acknowledges Hamas?

Think you have hit the mark, Lathyrus3, neither Hamas not Israel want peace,
I would go further, and say neither give a flying fig about the people of Palestine.

Keir Starmer can’t recognise Hamas or any other organisation/government. He doesn’t have the authority to act on his own.

Recognition of a Palestinian state is in no way the same as recognising and thereby giving approval to an oppressive military regime which persecutes women and children as part of its belief system

I don’t believe recognising Hamas as the Government of Palestine would lead to any improvement in the lives of women and children. Quite the opposite.

Nor do I believe that it would facilitate a peace process. Neither Hamas nor Israel want peace.

After recognising Hamas as a government how would you bring them to the negotiating table! How would you end their persecution of women and children?

Or would you accept or even believe that a recognised government can do as it likes with its most vulnerable citizens?

Yes, it sticks in the craw to acknowledge them as anything but the vile beings they are, but look at history current, recent and past.

Of course it isn't. And to make thing even 'better' Israel is now in the mix.

So, there have beeen, unfortunately, examples in the past when terrorists have been at negotiating tables.

Yeah it is going well in Syria isn't it.

The new Leader in Syria was once a member of a terror organisation. I suppose they all had to be, to survive.
David Lammy was photographed, officially of course, shaking his hand.
This is that ghastly thing 'political expediency'.

Despite all it's faults? I don't know how to respond to this.

Which organisations were involved in the Good Friday Agreement? Thought the IRA was one of them.

The situation is that Hamas have been negotiating for a peace deal and release of hostages. Hamas is the only government in Gaza and something has to be done for the people of Gaza.
Israel and the US have walked away from the talks saying Hamas is selfish wanting a full ceasefire.