Britain's Distinction between Hamas' Military and Civilian Arms Is Artificial

(Spectator-UK) Jake Wallis Simons - The British government may have deep military and security ties to the Jewish state, but London itself has been allowed to become one of the world's most important Hamas hubs. NGOs allegedly linked to Hamas raise millions of pounds a year, which (according to Israeli intelligence) is funneled into the terror group's coffers. This week, the Board of Deputies - British Jewry's main representative body - held an emergency meeting with the Prime Minister, at which it called for Hamas' political wing to be banned in Britain. At present only the military wing of Hamas is proscribed by the UK government. Given the recent hostilities, Britain cannot continue to defend its Janus-faced stance on Hamas, one of the world's most insidious and brutal Islamist terror groups. The dividing line between civilians and combatants simply does not exist in the world of Hamas. Security sources allege it was Yahya Sinwar, the group's political leader in Gaza, who initiated the latest round of violence. As a senior Israeli security official who focuses on Hamas foreign funding told me: "The distinction between the military and civilian arms is - to be very polite - artificial, and has no place in the fight against modern terrorism."


2021-06-03 00:00:00

Full Article

BACK

Visit the Daily Alert Archive