Who would like the Taliban on the Med? Sun! Sea! Hummus! And Hamas!
If you’re one of those people who support Hamas (even in principle while saying you don’t always “approve of their methods”), if you’ve joined in with a “Palestine must be free from the river to the sea” cries, or even the deliberately vague “free, free Palestine” chant, or if you’ve been in favour of a one-state solution (sincerely because you think it is a “just peace”, or because you’re secretly keen on the extermination of the Jews), then in fact what you are asking for – and God forbid you should get – is the establishment of a Taliban-like state at the heart of the Mediterranean.
If you are naïve enough to think that Hamas’s only ambition is the “liberation” of Palestine, think again. Think firstly what they mean by this – they mean literally the driving of Jews they haven’t killed into the sea and the seizing of what we call modern-day Israel as “Palestine”. Then secondly, think what sort of state they intend to make it. They intend for it to be a Taliban-style state which will eventually be integrated into the larger Caliphate. If you don’t believe me, google their charter. It is not a secret document. It is there for anyone who cares to read it to do so. If you haven’t, it is because you do not really want to know what Hamas stands for and you would prefer to overlay your own fantasy narrative. If you have read it and you refuse to take it literally, then again, that is because you would prefer to overlay your own fantasy narrative. Hamas have never been anything but plain-speaking and clear about their intentions. When they act, some people act surprised, but they are only doing what they said they would do and will continue to do. If you’re not listening, you’re an idiot.
So let me tell you what will happen when you ‘achieve’ a “Free Palestine” that runs “from the river to the sea”. It will be governed by Hamas. If you think that having achieved “an end to the colonial occupation of the Zionist Entity” they will install free and democratic elections in a secular liberal state, you’re taking too many drugs, or you may wish to seek out professional psychiatric help. I’ll say it again: it will be governed by Hamas – in precisely the fashion they have governed Gaza to date, including the murder of political opponents, detention without trial, ‘disappearances’ of opposition figures, the brutal suppression of gays and lesbians in a way that would give “Queers for Palestine” serious pause for thought were they not completely mad, suppression of women’s rights, and most of the stuff you’d associate with a Taliban-style Islamic State. If you don’t believe me, ask Amnesty International.
If you don’t accept this is – and will be – the reality, you’re either stupid or evil.
For those too stupid to work out what this will mean in practice, let me spell it out:
It will not see the end of “human rights abuses” in the region. It will let the biggest abuser of human rights off the leash to the detriment of moderate, liberal or secular Muslims, non-Muslims (Christians, and any surviving Jews), secularists, liberals, progressives, women, gays and lesbians, political opponents of Hamas, and anyone else who offends Islamic fundamentalism or threatens Hamas’s power.
It will be a power base for Islamic extremism to operate from on the Mediterranean. Under the usual pretexts of defencing the faith, fighting the satanic West, re-establishing the Caliphate, fulfilling the prophesy, or whatever else we’re used to hearing from Al Qaida, ISIS, and similar terrorist organisations, we will see attacks on commercial and recreational shipping in the Mediterranean. People on sailing holidays will be kidnapped off their yachts and held hostage, bathers on the beaches of Cyprus or Egypt will be attacked, killed, or kidnapped by gunmen, the Suez Canal will be held to ransom… we will have the closest terror base to Europe so far. We will have an Afghanistan not “over there”, but right on our doorstep.
The best part of it, from Hamas’s point-of-view, is that should this happen – and as night follows day, it will – there will be absolutely nothing Western states could do about it at this point, having already established that military attempts to confront Hamas cannot be made without “committing war crimes”, and that applying economic or logistical pressure “violates international law”.
What was once Israel’s problem – a problem rendered practically insoluble by our own handwringing interference – will now be a problem for the entire democratic West.
Is this what we’re asking for?
Why would any liberal person want to see the retreat of liberal democracy in the world? Why would any liberal want to see another theocratic fascist state on this planet?
So, by all means, chant “Free, Free Palestine”, but just be clear about what the outcome of your demand will be.
Here is my challenge to you: If this is not the outcome you want, stop being a useful idiot by parroting virtue-signals that will lead inevitably to this outcome.
For those who do want this outcome: please keep shouting so we can see who you are. Perhaps if we all get a clearer view of evil and evil-doers, decent people might have a chance of standing up to it.
