Hamas to disarm.....

[mids2019]

Have Hamas seen sense and realised there is little hope for their death cult? Is this is a significant moment towards peace?

I've previously asked my American friends in Florida and other states, they take the 2nd Amendment extremely seriously as it's meant to protect the citizens from the Tyranny of the Government (which Trump’s administration is happily displaying for example with the extrajudicial ICE murders et al).

I think the reaction to anyone who did this would be extreme violence. America still has armed militias across the country such as the Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, John Brown Gun Clubs, and Socialist Rifle Associations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_militia_movement

From the ipaper:

“Last month, Trump announced what he described as a “monumental” deal that would see the “complete disarmament” of Hamas in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal of troops from the Gaza Strip – the first and long-awaited accomplishment of Trump’s much-vaunted Board of Peace.
Usually, this kind of deal would be announced at a major summit, with lots of pomp and ceremony – and Trump is very fond of pomp and ceremony – but in this case, there was none of that. In fact, Israel seemed to be absent from the announcement altogether. Trump had announced a supposedly historic peace deal, and Israel wasn’t even confirming that they’d signed up to it.
On Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu finally gave his answer, and it was a resounding “no”. Dismissing the 15-point Trump plan as “fictitious disarmament”, Netanyahu said he would settle only for complete and unilateral Hamas disarmament. He confirmed that Israel would not be withdrawing any of its troops from the region.”
“Netanyahu and Trump are supposed to be close friends. Israel is the US’s closest ally, and is deeply reliant on US military and financial support for its survival. The US president should not be getting surprised or publicly embarrassed by Israel like this – and yet, here we are.
The reality is that no one except Trump will be surprised by this: elections in Israel are just a few months away, and Benjamin Netanyahu is facing an extremely tough battle to hang on to the premiership – especially given his ongoing corruption trial, which hugely raises the stakes for him.
Netanyahu, a longtime security hawk, has shifted his entire political platform since October 7 to become an ultra-hardliner on Gaza and Palestine. His promise when he launched an all-out assault on the Gaza Strip was that he would eradicate Hamas once and for all.”
“He has very obviously not achieved that goal, which is enough of a political difficulty on its own. Going further and signing a US-brokered deal for a phased withdrawal of troops in exchange for phased disarmament by Hamas – who would hand over their weapons to some new Palestinian governing authority – would be political suicide. Netanyahu was never going to sign this deal, and anyone with even passing familiarity with Israel’s politics could have told Trump that.
This kind of embarrassment is hardly an isolated incident, though. Trump is getting in the habit of announcing major peace plans and deals on a weekly basis, which usually fall apart within a matter of days, if not hours. He has announced peace deals with Iran – and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz – so many times now that it barely makes headlines when he does. Trump’s approach to geopolitics seems to have been reduced to merely announcing what he wants to happen, and then getting increasingly angry when it doesn’t just magically come to pass.”
“The truth is that Trump wasn’t even played by Netanyahu on this occasion: Israel never even pretended to like this deal, let alone to sign on to it. Instead, he’s played himself. Trump might have access to the best intelligence in the world, but he never seems to listen to it.
Reportedly, he rarely receives the Presidential Daily Briefing. Instead, according to the New Yorker he generally gets his morning briefing from Fox News. He has largely frozen out America’s huge and deeply experienced diplomatic service, instead relying on his special envoys, his billionaire buddy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Trump has created the ultimate filter bubble, getting his view of the world from a news channel that shamelessly panders to him, so as to keep him as a viewer, and from sycophantic advisers who know what happens to anyone who tells Trump something he doesn’t want to hear.”
“If Trump were just another 80-year-old whiling away his retirement at home, this would be harmless enough – but he’s not. Instead, he’s trying to run the world while in this state, so out of touch that he can’t even predict what his allies will do, let alone his enemies, and unable to think even one move ahead.
Donald Trump likes to think he’s the master of the great game of geopolitics. In reality, he is doing little more than constantly playing himself.”

Excerpt From
“Trump thinks he’s winning. He’s the last to realise he’s lost”
James Ball
The i Paper
https://apple.news/AMnhc9LYrQ6W6gtIxC04KKg
This material may be protected by copyright.

I have friends in Gaza. After so many years of this conflict they want peace, which will include the disarming of Hamas(who they loath), more than we can imagine. But they are scared that disarming Hamas will lead to further violence against them from the many armed gangs (often supported by the Israeli Government) that are waiting to fill the vacuum. And they are scared of Israel - the attacks have continued pretty much nightly throughout this supposed period of peace negotiation. Gazans need protection, and a road map that will lead them out of this mess with firm commitments from Israel and the international community. Disarming Hamas is a crucial part, but so much more needs to be in place if there is to be any hope of peace.

Interesting to hear the views of people in Gaza.

What form would they like this protection to take @Sleepinggreyhounds ?

@Twiglets1 they have mentioned they want an international peace keeping force. I’m not sure how they would see this being made up - my friends are quite open minded and pro- Western having studied in the UK and other European countries but I would imagine there would be resistance to western intervention from some of the population and they would want the force drawn from Islamic countries. Everyone is wary of the US. At the moment they feel that what’s happening is hidden from the world which makes them feel even more vulnerable. I’ll ask more about this next time we text.

Thank you.

I wouldn’t say that what’s happening is hidden from the world, would you?

I think there has been a huge international spotlight on Gaza … appreciate those living there may not be aware of that if their media sources are restricted.

Western governments are well aware … which must feel at times like no one cares. I think that people do care but governments are limited in how much they want to or can intervene in political problems that have been raging for so long and seem almost impossible to fix.

In terms of hidden they mean the lack of international observers. This leaves reports from Gaza open to criticism and denial, which we’ve all seen. And yes, I think Gaza has been off the headlines recently due to other world events - you can find reports but they are not front and centre. They feel forgotten by the rest of the world when the vast majority of the population are living in unimaginable conditions with no immediate hop of improvement and daily bombardment.

Ok but I still think international governments and community are well aware.

Agree the world’s gaze is more focused on the Iran war right now though.

Oh it's just heartbreaking @Sleepinggreyhounds . The world has completely abandoned them. I was reading about the unbearable temperatures in the tents at the moment. And the fear that any day could be their last while their land is being slowly consumed by Israel.

It is shameful this has been allowed to happen.