Fatah and Hamas reached consensus in July to hold municipal elections on October 8th. The agreement came about amid reconciliation efforts aimed at ending internal Palestinian political divisions. Hani el-Massri, a Palestinian political analyst based in Gaza, believes this election cycle is the last best chance to settle the division.
At the height of the Gaza onslaught in July, Netanyahu’s right-hand man met with a group of journalists in Jerusalem to equate Hamas with ISIS. The latest Israeli rhetoric is overheated: Both organizations seek to establish an Islamic caliphate, both “educate (read: brainwash) children to sanctify death and to die as a martyr (shahid) in jihad.” Oh and Hamas is global, but Boko Haram isn’t.
On Monday former Republican Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee visited the Gush Etzion settlement and claimed that radical Islamists are after American boys.
The cease-fire that ended seven weeks of hell in Gaza is only two days old. But the countdown to the next round began as soon as the ink dried on the agreement between Israel and the Palestinian armed factions. The deep-rooted problems bedeviling the Palestinian people and Israel have not gone away. The only question is when that next spasm of violence breaks out.
Western governments and mainstream media outlets hold and promote a reductionist and racist understanding of Hamas, its actions, and its position in Palestinian society.
As Israel continues to pound the Gaza Strip, and factions within the beleaguered territory retaliate…
Women protest the Taliban in support of of Malala Yousafzai. (Photo: Pam Bailey) Throughout my stay…