The Hamas Charter explicitly called for the “annihilation” of the Jewish state. Why do we accept Hamas being genocidal and try to reframe Israel’s successful defence in war as “genocide”?

Why do Hamas always get a free pass?

Because they’re technically less competent than Israel?

See, this is what grinds my effing gears. On one hand you have a party "calling" for the "annihilation" of Israel. On the other hand, you have a part who is calling for the annihilation of palestinians AND they are ACTIVELY doing it. But no, you have to draw an equivalence somehow ...

No you don't.

You have a democratically elected government aiming for the dismantling of Hamas.

Hamas is the proscribed terror organisation that is currently leading Gaza.

Israel is not calling for the annihilation of Palestinians.

The death of Palestinians is entirely the fault of Hamas, whose blatent and attrocious terrorism led Israel with no choice other than to respond with force and defend Israeli citizens from the further attrocities that Hamas have promised.

This is not something the state of Israel will accept and is quite blatant in declaring that they would prefer to keep up the genocide.

Note also that Hamas never repealed their 1988 charter that called for the annihilation of Israel and contains openly antisemitic language.

For a two-state solution to work, Hamas will need to recognise Israel's right to co-exist alongside a Palestine state. And Hamas will need to stop killing innocent Israeli citizens.

"20. Hamas believes that no part of the land of Palestine shall be compromised or conceded, irrespective of the causes, the circumstances and the pressures and no matter how long the occupation lasts. Hamas rejects any alternative to the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea. However, without compromising its rejection of the Zionist entity and without relinquishing any Palestinian rights, Hamas considers the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital along the lines of the 4th of June 1967, with the return of the refugees and the displaced to their homes from which they were expelled, to be a formula of national consensus."

Which is a very reasonable position, since it is a movement predicated on genocidal violence and the crime of apartheid. If the state of Israel were to reform or through revolution become democratic and stop its incessant aggression towards both neighbours and more distant countries, I'm sure Hamas would "recognise Israel".

But as I said, this is not an acceptable alternative to the jewish israeli mainstream, nor the zionist movement generally.

The palestinians are actually pretty good at not killing "innocent[s]". Much better than the israelis, who have made sport, commerce and dating out of humiliation and terror perpetrated against palestinians.

By the “Zionist entity,” Hamas are describing Israel.

I don’t think you’re ignorant. I think you’re wilfully turning a blind eye to just how hypocritical Hamas are in their criticism of Israel.

It wasn't Hamas that "expelled the Jews" in 2005, it was Israel that dismantled its illegal settlements.

Right, by the zionist entity Hamas is describing Israel today, but leaves it open whether it might still be a genocidal settler state in the future.

I'm not so sure Hamas criticises Israel. Do you have something in particular in mind? From my perspective they try to resist the occupation and genocidal policies. To the extent that they publish criticism it is usually aimed at international institutions and countries enabling Israel that claim to value international law and human rights but clearly do so in a severely racist and bigoted way.

Israel is a parliamentary democracy with a multi-party system, independent judiciary, elections and civil liberty.

If you believe otherwise, you must be knee-deep in Hamas propaganda, as many Western leftists seem to be.

> It wasn't Hamas that "expelled the Jews" in 2005, it was Israel that dismantled its illegal settlements.

So Hamas made it illegal for Jews to live in Gaza? Sounds like an apartheid state to me...

Meanwhile 21% of Israeli citizens are Arab.

No, international law made it illegal.

It's a stretch to call them "citizens".

Under the Genocide Convention, genocide requires specific intent (“intent to destroy, in whole or in part”) a protected group, plus one of the listed genocidal acts (killing; causing serious harm; inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction; preventing births; forcibly transferring children).

You are incorrect.

The official policy of the current government of Israel is ”the Jewish people have an exclusive right on all the land” between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.” per the coalition agreement the Likud-led government made in 2022: https://archive.is/EYGLU

Here’s the coalition agreement, see article 118:

https://main.knesset.gov.il/mk/government/Documents/CA37-RZ....

Here’s another analysis of the coalition agreement that includes that same quote:

https://www.ofekcenter.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/wha...