Where’s the Coverage? – The Truth About Hamas

On Nov. 15, under the headline “Israeli Assault into Gaza Kills a Hamas Leader,” The New York Times ran a front page, above the fold, story about the recent fighting. (FYI: The online headline is the judgment-tinged “Ferocious Israeli Assault on Gaza Kills a Leader of Hamas”.) The first paragraph reads:

Israel on Wednesday launched the most ferocious assault on Gaza in four years after persistent Palestinian rocket fire, hitting at least 20 targets in aerial attacks that killed the top military commander of Hamas, damaged Israel’s fragile relations with Egypt and escalated the risks of a new war in the Middle East.

Just for starters:

• Palestinian rocket fire was persistent but the Israeli response was a “ferocious assault”.

• Israel’s retaliatory actions in defense of its citizens “damaged Israel’s fragile relations with Egypt”.

• Israel’s actions “escalated the risks of a new war in the Middle East”.

That’s all in one sentence in the first paragraph of the story, possibly a record for efficiency in context-free reporting. (Well done?)

The fact is that the “assault,” “damage,” “escalation,” and “risks of war” all stem from repeated terrorist attacks from Gaza into Israel, including the firing of thousands of rockets and mortars into civilian areas for years. (For a timeline of the recent Gaza-Israel cross-border violence, please click here.

The Times is not alone in this type of reporting. You are currently seeing and will continue to see much coverage of these events that utterly ignores the context, inverts the timing of actions and promotes a “cycle of violence” narrative that equates the illegal terrorist activities of Hamas with the legal and proper response to terrorism of the Israeli government and military.

In paragraph four, The Times defines Hamas as “the militant organization regarded by Israel as a terrorist group sworn to its destruction.” Again, you are and will continue to see Hamas referred to as The Times does by other media.

So here’s the unreported truth:

Hamas is not just regarded by Israel as a terrorist organization, but also by the United States and the European Union. State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner said, “There is no justification for the violence that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are employing against the people of Israel. We call on those responsible to stop these cowardly acts immediately. We support Israel’s right to defend itself, and we encourage Israel to continue to take every effort to avoid civilian casualties.” [Emphasis added.]

Furthermore, it’s not just that Israel regards Hamas as sworn to its destruction; Hamas is sworn to Israel’s destruction. This is clearly outlined in the Hamas charter. Here are some choice excerpts:

• “Israel will exist, and will continue to exist, until Islam abolishes it, as it abolished that which was before it.” [From the words of] The martyr, Imam Hasan al-Banna’, Allah’s mercy be upon him.

• [Hamas] joins arms with all those who wage jihad for the liberation of Palestine.

• …our fight with the Jews is very extensive and very grave, and it requires all the sincere efforts. It is a step that must be followed by further steps; it is a brigade that must be reinforced by brigades upon brigades from this vast Islamic world, until the enemies are defeated and Allah’s victory is revealed.

• The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinct Palestinian movement that is loyal to Allah, adopts Islam as a way of life and works to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.

• …the Islamic Resistance Movement aspires to realize the promise of Allah, no matter how long it takes. The Prophet, Allah’s prayer and peace be upon him, says: “The hour of judgment shall not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them, so that the Jews hide behind trees and stones, and each tree and stone will say: ‘Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him,’ except for the Gharqad tree, for it is the tree of the Jews.”

• …the land of Palestine is Waqf land given as endowment for all generations of Muslims until the Day of Resurrection.

• The initiatives, the so-called peace solutions, and the international conferences for resolving the Palestinian problem stand in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement

• There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are a waste of time and a farce.

• In the face of the Jewish occupation of Palestine, it is necessary to raise the banner of jihad.

• We demand that the Arab countries around Israel open their borders to jihad fighters from among the Arab and Islamic peoples, so they may fulfill their role and join their efforts to the efforts of their brothers – the Muslim brethren in Palestine. As for the rest of the Arab and Muslim countries, we demand that they facilitate the passage of the jihad fighters into them and out of them – that is the very least [they can do].

• Israel with its Jewish identity and Jewish people is challenging Islam and the Muslims.

• “Say to the unbelievers: You will surely be defeated and gathered in Hell. Most terrible shall be your resting-place.” (Koran, 3:12)

• The current Zionist invasion was preceded by Crusader invasions from the west, and by Mongol invasion from the east. And just as the Muslims faced these invasions, made plans for fighting them and defeated them, they can [now] confront the Zionist invasion and defeat it.

You see, it’s not Israel – or even the United States or the European Union – that regards Hamas’ goal as the destruction of Israel. Hamas repeatedly states this goal in its own charter. So… Where’s the coverage?