Did HAMAS attack Israel that started the current conflict in Gaza and West Bank(plus Jerusalem) that has seen the killing of so many?
It is true that after Hamas won the last Parliamentary elections, Gaza has been governed by Hamas... I have not seen anywhere where the Hamas government of Gaza has admitted to the acts of aggression on Israel... although many media and nation States like the US and Israel blame Hamas...
In the UN website, it is stated that the it was 'Palestinian armed groups in Gaza' - it did not say that it was the Hamas political party or the HAMAS government of Gaza that initiated the 'attack'..
On 7 October 2023, Palestinian armed groups in Gaza launched thousands of rockets toward Israel and breached through the perimeter fence of Gaza at multiple locations, entering into Israeli towns and killing and capturing Israeli forces and civilians. The Israeli military declared “a state of war alert,” and began striking targets in the Gaza Strip, including residential buildings and health care facilities. Since then, thousands of people have been killed and more than one million have been displaced, as parts of Gaza have been reduced to rubble. =https://www.un.org/en/situation-in-occupied-palestine-and-israel
Despite this fact, that is the reason why many UN member States do not want to lay unconfirmed blame on HAMAS - something which the US have been insisting to be included in the UN Security Council Resolution.
The Palestinian armed groups ought to be reprimanded and taken to task for the killing, kidnapping and damage of property... but NOT the Hamas political party and Hamas, the current government of GAZA.
Presumption of innocence until proven guilty in court ---
If it was some armed group that started it, the retaliation of the ISRAEL government against the Palestinian people in Gaza and elsewhere is not justified, and in itself is a CRIME.
Was the said 'Palestinian armed groups' agent provocateurs that acted at the request of Israel and/or its allies, to justify the attack on Gaza - that to date resulted in more than 20,000 deaths? Were they part of HAMAS or acting on the orders of the HAMAS government of Gaza or Hamas, the political movement?
We do not know yet - and that is why a FAIR TRIAL is needed, and NOT Extrajudicial Killing. Has any one who was involved in the bombing and kidnapping been arrested and charged in court yet?
The TRUTH must be revealed - and the TRUTH is not equal to what Israel and the US and/or UK believes in. The USE of the VETO power to delay(or prevent) the passing of the UN Security Council Resolution just because HAMAS is not blamed for the attack on Israel is so wrong.
Hence, the UN Security Council Resolution avoids making any conclusion laying blame on HAMAS for the start of the killing and destruction...
Security Council resolution 2720 (2023)
The Security Council,
Reaffirming the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
Recalling all of its relevant resolutions, particularly resolution 2712 (2023), which, inter alia, demands that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians, calls for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days to enable full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access and to enable urgent rescue and recovery efforts, and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring immediate humanitarian access,
Reaffirming that all parties to conflicts must adhere to their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as applicable,
Stressing that the Gaza Strip constitutes an integral part of the territory occupied in 1967, and reiterating the vision of the two-State solution, with the Gaza Strip as part of the Palestinian State,
Expressing deep concern at the dire and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and its grave impact on the civilian population, underlining the urgent need for full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access into and throughout the entire Gaza Strip, and taking note of the concerning reports from the leadership of the United Nations and humanitarian organizations in this regard, reaffirming its strong concern for the disproportionate effect that the conflict is having on the lives and well-being of children, women, and other civilians in vulnerable situations, and stressing the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence,
Stressing the obligation to respect and protect humanitarian relief and medical personnel,
Reaffirming its call for all parties to refrain from depriving the civilian population in the Gaza Strip of basic services and humanitarian assistance indispensable to their survival, consistent with international humanitarian law,
Commending the indispensable and ongoing efforts of the United Nations, its specialized agencies and all humanitarian and medical personnel in the Gaza Strip to alleviate the impact of the conflict on the people in the Gaza Strip, and expressing condolences for all civilians, including humanitarian and medical personnel, killed in the course of this conflict,
Welcoming the efforts of Egypt to facilitate the use of the Rafah Border crossing by United Nations humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners for the provision of humanitarian assistance for people in need throughout the Gaza Strip,
Taking note of the 15 December 2023 decision by the Government of Israel to open its crossing at Karem Abu Salem / Kerem Shalom for direct delivery of humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, which should ease congestion and help facilitate the provision of life-saving assistance to those who urgently need it, and emphasizing the need to continue working closely with all relevant parties to expand the delivery and distribution of humanitarian assistance, while confirming its humanitarian nature and ensuring that it reaches its civilian destination,
Encouraging engagement with relevant states in the implementation of this resolution,
Welcoming the implementation of a recent ‘humanitarian pause’ in the Gaza Strip, and expressing appreciation for the diplomatic efforts of Egypt, the State of Qatar, and other states in this regard, and also expressing grave concerns as to the impact the resumption of hostilities has had on civilians,
Recognizing that the civilian population in the Gaza Strip must have access to sufficient quantities of assistance that they need, including enough food, water, sanitation, electricity, telecommunications and medical services essential for their survival, and that the provision of humanitarian supplies in the Gaza Strip needs to be sufficient to alleviate the massive humanitarian needs of the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip, and recognizing the importance of resuming commercial imports of essential goods and services into the Gaza Strip,
Welcoming financial contributions and pledges by member states in support of the civilian population in Gaza, and taking note of the International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population of Gaza held in Paris on 9 November 2023 and its follow-up meeting on 6 December 2023,
1. Reiterates its demand that all parties to the conflict comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, including with regard to the conduct of hostilities and the protection of civilians and civilian objects, humanitarian access, and the protection of humanitarian personnel and their freedom of movement, and the duty, as applicable, of ensuring the food and medical supplies, among others, of the population, recalls that civilian and humanitarian facilities, including hospitals, medical facilities, schools, places of worship, and facilities of the UN, as well as humanitarian personnel, and medical personnel, and their means of transport, must be respected and protected, according to international humanitarian law, and affirms that nothing in this resolution absolves the parties of these obligations;
2. Reaffirms the obligations of the parties to the conflict under international humanitarian law regarding the provision of humanitarian assistance, demands that they allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip, and in this regard calls for urgent steps to immediately allow safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access and to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities;
3. Demands that the parties to the conflict allow and facilitate the use of all available routes to and throughout the entire Gaza Strip, including border crossings, including full and prompt implementation of the announced opening of the Karem Abu Salem / Kerem Shalom Border Crossing, for the provision of humanitarian assistance in order to ensure that humanitarian personnel and humanitarian assistance, including fuel, food, and medical supplies and emergency shelter assistance, reaches the civilian population in need throughout the Gaza Strip without diversion and through the most direct routes, as well as for material and equipment to repair and ensure the functioning of critical infrastructure and to provide essential services, without prejudice to the obligations of the parties to the conflict under international humanitarian law, and stresses the importance of respecting and protecting border crossings and maritime infrastructure used for the delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale;
4. Requests the Secretary-General, with the objective of expediting the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, to appoint a Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator with responsibility for facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying in Gaza, as appropriate, the humanitarian nature of all humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza provided through states which are not party to the conflict, and further requests that the Coordinator expeditiously establish a UN mechanism for accelerating the provision of humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza through states which are not party to the conflict, consulting all relevant parties, with the goal of expediting, streamlining, and accelerating the process of providing assistance while continuing to help ensure that aid reaches its civilian destination, and demands that the parties to the conflict cooperate with the Coordinator to fulfill their mandate without delay or obstruction;
5. Requests that the Coordinator be appointed expeditiously;
6. Determines that the Coordinator will have the necessary personnel and equipment in Gaza, under the authority of the United Nations, to perform these, and other functions as determined by the Security Council, and requests that the Coordinator report to the Security Council on its work, with an initial report within 20 days and thereafter every 90 days through 30 September 2024;
7. Demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address medical needs of all hostages;
8. Demands the provision of fuel to Gaza at levels that will meet requisite humanitarian needs;
9. Calls for all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law and in this regard deplores all attacks against civilians and civilian objects, as well as all violence and hostilities against civilians, and all acts of terrorism;
10. Reaffirms the obligations of all parties under international humanitarian law, including with regard to respecting and protecting civilians and taking constant care to spare civilian objects, including such objects critical to the delivery of essential services to the civilian population, and with regard to refraining from attacking, destroying, removing or rendering useless objects that are indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, as well as respecting and protecting humanitarian personnel and consignments used for humanitarian relief operations;
11. Reaffirms that civilian objects, including places of refuge, including within United Nations facilities and their surroundings, are protected under international humanitarian law, and rejects forced displacement of the civilian population, including children, in violation of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law;
12. Reiterates its unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-State solution where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders, consistent with international law and relevant UN resolutions, and in this regard stresses the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority;
13. Demands that all parties to the conflict take all appropriate steps to ensure the safety and security of United Nations and associated personnel, those of its specialized agencies, and all other personnel engaged in humanitarian relief activities consistent with international humanitarian law, without prejudice to their freedom of movement and access, stresses the need not to hinder these efforts, and recalls that humanitarian relief personnel must be respected and protected;
14. Demands implementation of resolution 2712 (2023) in full, requests the Secretary-General to report to the Security Council in writing within five working days of the adoption of this resolution on the implementation of resolution 2712 (2023), and thereafter as necessary, and calls upon all parties concerned to make full use of the humanitarian notification and deconfliction mechanisms in place to protect all humanitarian sites, including UN facilities, and to help facilitate the movement of aid convoys, without prejudice to the obligations of the parties to uphold international humanitarian law;
15. Requests the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of this resolution in the regular reporting to the Council;
16. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
HENCE, we too must not blindly take the position that HAMAS is responsible for the start of the conflict in Gaza and/or Palestine.
Now, after the Parliamentary elections in Palestine, Hamas decisively won the PLC election held on 25 January 2006. Qurei resigned, but at the request of President Abbas remained as interim prime minister until 19 February 2006. Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas was nominated Prime Minister on 16 February 2006 and the new government was formally presented to Abbas on 20 February and the government led by Haniyeh was sworn in on 29 March 2006....Meanwhile, Haniyeh and Hamas refused to accept the dismissal, and claimed to still be the legitimate government of the Palestinian Authority. The basis of the challenge was that under the Basic Law, the president may dismiss a sitting prime minister, but may not appoint a replacement without the approval of the PLC (which was controlled by Hamas), and that until a new prime minister is properly appointed, the outgoing prime minister heads a caretaker government.
In brief, Gaza continued to be governed by HAMAS.
US preferred Fattah and the PLO, and even went on to declare Hamas as a 'terrorist organization' in the late 90s. Despite a free and fair elections, the victory of HAMAS was not recognized by the US... Some countries have followed the US lead, and designated HAMAS as a terrorist organization - but not all nation states have done so, including I believe, Malaysia.
LET US NOT CONCLUDE THAT THE RECENT CRISIS IN PALESTINE SIMPLY BECAUSE SOME COUNTRIES, AND SOME MEDIA HAVE UNJUSTLY CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS HAMAS THAT send rockets and attacked Israel first. Even the UN blames not HAMAS - but simply some Palestinian armed groups in Gaza. Hence the reluctance of UN member States to simply and unjustly blame HAMAS, the political party - the government of Gaza for the 7th October 'attack'...
Malaysian media should also be careful in its reporting and not blame HAMAS without any basis...PREJUDICIAL reporting not based on proven facts.
Often, we hear of this and that groups claiming responsibility for this and that attacks - where is that information coming from????
U.K. mission abstains from U.N. resolution over lack of condemnation of Hamas
The United Kingdom said it has abstained from a United Nations Security Council vote on a Gaza cease-fire because the resolution failed to condemn the terror group Hamas.
The United States vetoed the resolution, put forth by the United Arab Emirates, that called for a humanitarian cease-fire in Israel’s war against Hamas and its military campaign in Gaza.
“We are gravely concerned about the desperate situation in Gaza,” the U.K. mission said, adding that the civilian casualties and displacement can’t continue.
“But we cannot vote in favour of a resolution which does not condemn the atrocities Hamas committed against innocent Israeli civilians on the 7th of October,” the U.K. mission said in a statement.
“Calling for a ceasefire ignores the fact that Hamas has committed acts of terror and is still holding civilians hostage,” it continued.
The
U.K. mission to the U.N. also said that Israel has a right to address
the threat posed by Hamas but must do so in accordance with
international humanitarian law. The U.K. had also expressed support for
an eventual two-state solution. - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna128682
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