Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday he doesn’t know that a ceasefire is possible in the Israel-Hamas war with “an organization like Hamas” involved.
“I don’t know how you can have a ceasefire, (a) permanent ceasefire, with an organization like Hamas, which is dedicated to turmoil and chaos and destroying the state of Israel,” Sanders told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” Sunday.
If Israel agrees to a ceasefire, then allows aid to flow in and new elections to be freely held, Hamas will cause zero wars in the next five years, because they won’t have any power.
What makes you think Hamas wouldn’t win the election?
Hamas ran on an entirely different platform (of moderation) to a different group of voters. Why not see what happens?
Convince the EU to support sanctions until an election. That’s what’s keeping Hamas going.
Netanyahu has been seen sending covert money to Hamas and has been alleged on multiple times to have said that Hamas is good for the Israeli government (which might have been true before October).
Sanctions would simply be an expansion of the siege. Collective punishment is against the Geneva conventions. What grounds are there to sanction a people for having a government they themselves dislike but which they are forbidden from voting out of power? Further, how is that better than organizing a vote? Palestinians will starve to death between then and now, if they’re sanctioned.
You can’t continue to give Hamas more money and claim to support elections in Gaza. Giving them money is defacto support for a non-democratic Gaza Strip.
I don’t want to give Hamas money, because I don’t support Hamas. I want to give Palestinian people access to food, water, healthcare, safe shelter and education, ideally through NGOs, until an election can be held.
Then, if the government elected is Hamas or worse, you still support the populace through NGOs, because they’re still people, and lack of education and stability have never made a group less extremist. The cost of basic social services and life supports for a few million people is far smaller than the cost of the weapons to eradicate them
Israel has in the last month specifically targeted hospitals, schools, Red Cross/red crescent vehicles, and MSF operations. That’s why the ceasefire is a necessary first step.
You can’t do both as long as Hamas rules the strip. You can give Palestinians aid in the West Bank and in Lebanon and Jordan; but not in the Gaza Strip.
What the last few months have shown is that aid meant for individuals is stolen by Hamas to fund terrorism. Unless the UN or EU puts troops on the ground to police the aid; funding the Strip will be finding terrorism to a large degree.
Let’s keep the ceasefire and hold an election then.
How does Hamas turn bandages and water into bombs?
Why not use the preexisting NGOs?
If troops on the ground are truly required, then let’s use them! The other option is genocide. We should ask Palestinians what they would prefer, but this is why peacekeeping forces exist.