Hamas declaration in 1988 for the formation of an Islamic State, includes the area now called Israel. Hamas has indicated that if it tried to amend that historic claim to Israel, it would cause a huge problem within, and clearly undermine all the supporter, funding, training, and political help it gets, from wherever & whenever it gets it.
Hamas shares with Iran the aim to eradicate Israel, and as Iran was strongly against ANY peace deal with Israel proposed by the Palestinian Authority, so Hamas for decades (spats aside), is an ‘agent’ of disruption by Iran to Israel’s south, as Hezbollah is to their North.
Hamas in the past could rely on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to train its fighters for up to 6-months and when Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal was in Iran in 2009, during a speech thanking all the region support they get, singled out Iran for LEADING that backing.
Hamas (Sunni) may have recently upset Iran (Shia) for getting involved elsewhere in the region against Iran’s interests, for now Hamas can enjoy economic and political support from the likes of Qatar and Turkey, until Iran comes back on board - which if Hamas continues to fight with Israel, it will do so soon, if not already.
Hamas, an offshoot from the Muslim Brotherhood, for years used the tunnels to Egypt to smuggle in goods AND ENRICH THEMSELVES with the proceeds, buying up land, businesses, power – while leaving the masses they ‘represent’ to live in the cramped conditions.
Hamas INSISTS that for any ceasefire, the Israeli blockade must end, I’d suggest has something to do with the government of Egypt peed off with the Muslim Brotherhood, CLOSING down those tunnels.*
Hamas clearly needs to re-establish its lucrative trading operations to both enrich itself and expand their influence within, and somehow facilitate the import of their ‘better quality’ missiles in from North Korea, now and in the future.
“Hamas-North Korean arms deal as terrorist weaponry runs low”
www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/07/26/Hamas-North-Korea-Deal
“Recently, Hamas-affiliated sources claimed that the terrorist outfit that runs Gaza had only utilised around 3 percent of their arsenal in the latest exchanges with Israel, but security experts have told Breitbart London that the figure is more likely to be around 50 percent.”
“In recent years Hamas has gone from importing weapons and using crudely made rockets to developing its own factories, sometimes underground, beneath civilian homes and local public infrastructure in Gaza.”
“A new deal with North Korea will also embolden the group, which has fallen out of favour with its Iranian sugar daddies as of late.”
Hamas needs to tunnel into Israel to attack and kidnap their citizens DUE TO THE BUFFER ZONES so why would any sane government concerned for their own security, MAKE IT EASIER for Hamas sanctioned, Hamas ‘affiliated’ member (apparently responsible for the recent kidnap/killing of three Israeli youths) or any other Islamist factions within Gaza, to attack them, by taking away those buffer zones.
Israel will remain on a war footing while on their borders, Hamas, Fatah, every other faction within, needs to via for funding/power/votes by being the more ‘hawkish’ against Israel than the other. The Palestinian internal power struggles, largely financed, trained and influenced by external (often) anti western States, ensures an unstable regime on Israel’s borders that State sponsored or not, threatens Israeli citizens on a daily basis, whether a missile is fired at Israel or not.
I reiterate from another thread, NO ONE on this board condones the casualties in Gaza, and anyone who accuses other posters for adding ‘balance’ to events are sick themselves.
The fact is, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict/solution has always been complex, arguably due to the amount of ‘players’, more so today than ever before.
But until a Palestinian regime takes the constant threat of violence to Israel off the table, and I mean really take it off - rather than pay political lip service in order to rearm and undo the blockades and buffer zones, to make future attacks both easier and equipped with more lethal ordinance – Israel will use any excuse to take out the huge amount of Palestinian military ordinance, there for the sole purpose of attacking Israeli citizens.