Quote:
Originally Posted by Coys1882
Why doesn't the population that holds group like Hamas just expose them and oust them from their ranks? Why do they let them live within their communities? If those threats to Israel were gone - would these issues even exist? I find it hard to believe that Israel goes looking for fights based on what I've seen and read.
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It's hard to explain, but i'll give it a shot (there's so much history and intangibles, that one post isn't enough) . Living conditions in Palestine are horrendous. the IDF can basically arrest and burn down/bomb houses indiscriminately (which they do, and they don't). hospitals are underfunded and there's no insurance. food and access to water in some places are cut, and of course there's no jobs and the economy is basically non-existent (Palestinians used to go to Israel and work there during the day, but now they can't reliably get through security check points). All of this has been going on long before Hamas was elected. Here's where Hamas comes in, (and why Palestinians won't just get rid of them);
because of foreign funding (Iran and previously Egypt) Hamas provides jobs and monetary allowances, they act as the police and firecrews, they rebuild houses that have been torn down and give montary compensation, they help build and fund hospitals, they act as insurance companies, they maintain the tunnels so people can smuggle in goods, gas and food. to the outside world they're terrorists, but to Palestinians they're seen as freedom fighters. It's david vs Goliath, and while David may provoke goliath, to them goliath is and has always been a bully. Hamas provides integral services that they depend on, and that dependency has only increased since 2007 when they were voted in as their government.
Anyone that was put in Palestinian conditions would accept Hamas' help. If Hamas had been there offering all this after Katrina, New Orleans would be voting them into office.