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Global Community Must Recognize Hamas Tactics in Gaza
(Ottawa Citizen-Canada) Shimon Koffler Fogel - As in any democracy, countless non-violent demonstrations take place in Israel in which no one is harmed. However, far from holding peaceful protests on the Gaza border, Hamas orchestrated violent clashes. Hamas published pictures of its slain "martyrs" dressed in combat gear. Hamas' "great march of return" is a clear statement that the group maintains its claim to the entire land. To insist that Palestinian rights can only be realized by denying the rights of Israelis is to destroy any hope for peace. The international community often voices its desire for a negotiated two-state solution. Yet, these declarations ring hollow when the UN indulges the Palestinian leadership in its zero-sum mentality, as the Security Council did in its response to the clashes. The global community must recognize Hamas' tactics for what they are: a cynical provocation designed to cause bloodshed and make peace even more elusive. The writer is CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), the advocacy arm of the Jewish Federations of Canada.