Hamas Says It Has No Plans to Strike U.S. Targets

[rodbarnett]

GAZA (Reuters) - A senior Hamas leader said on Wednesday the Palestinian militant group had no intention of attacking U.S. targets following Israel's assassination of the Islamic faction's spiritual leader.
"It's not in our policy to target Americans or American interests," Hamas political leader Sayed Seyam told Reuters. Hamas had vowed revenge against Israel for the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. The United States is Israel's chief ally.

The State Department had told Americans that Hamas had threatened revenge on U.S. interests after Yassin's death, telling them to leave the Gaza Strip and also advising against travel to Israel or the West Bank.

Seyam said the travel warning was "misleading information" from a government that had blessed Yassin's killing.

http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/39643|top|03-24-2004::06:26|reuters.html

[acmavm]

1. 'Misleading'? Don't they understand that if this administration doesn't

keep up the terror warnings, they might look like they've been cooking the books, so to speak? It's not misleading, most of what comes from these people are out and out lies.

Come on people, you're not doing your patriotic duty if you're not quaking in your boots everday, worrying about the next attack. Haven't you been paying attention? We owe it to bush*, asscroft, cheney, perle, frum, rice, powell, etc. to be a bunch of scared puppets. After all, this is wartime and we must tow the government line.

[Muddleoftheroad]

2. Like we are supposed to believe Hamas?

Palestinian terror groups have killed Americans before. They will do so again. They are our common enemy.

[LagaLover]

3. They know better than to threaten

us publicly. Bush is liable to level the whole West Bank if Hamas carries out a terrorist act against the US.

[Free_Thinking1]

4. I agree,

Trusting Hamas is about the same as trusting Bush and his cronies!

[ZR2]

5. Hamas is worse than BushCo

They will still be around in February.

[THUNDER HANDS]

6. in a way, so is Israel in this instance

Israel inflames them, and if they come after us, then it's Israel's partial blame.

Belive me, I live in NY so I'm at the center of where an attack would be. I don't appreciate Israel dragging America into their fight.

And you know that's what Sharon wants - for Hamas to attack us so we can fight their battle for them.

Hopefully Hamas isn't that stupid to play along.

[futureeater]

7. They are not your enemy...

I see the word "enemy" & I fear for rational debate...

As a long-time reader & recent new member from a non-US place, I am surprised by the replies on this post so far...I may have completely misread you, but there seems to be no compassion for the plight of the Palestinians, resulting from the terror & land-theft by recent Israeli governments, which has mostly been supported by the U.S. ...

If looked at with objectivity, this current "War On Terror" should really be renamed "War On Karma"...nations around the world cannot be "controlled" by a foreign power (like the US) without engendering resentment...if B*sh really wanted to help, he'd stop selling weapons of mass destruction to the terrorists in Israel...(bet they'd start negotiating a peaceful settlement then!)

Hey George, what about if you sold all of the weapons you rained on Baghdad to a spare-parts dealer, & then showered the Iraqi people with the money or goods...the terrorists would have no comeback to that!

(Meanwhile, I'll be suggesting to my own countrymen in Australia that they deal with their own dirty laundry & give compassionate aid to those arriving in my country as refugees while checking the authenticity of their claims, rather than locking them in a prison while they do their paperwork...)

[Free_Thinking1]

10. If I seem to not show compassion for the Palestinians

It is because I have none. I don't condone Israel stealing land, but I don't think the proper response is to specifically target women and children and non military targets.

[kysrsoze]

12. You don't think it's proper to target women and children?

What about indiscriminate targeting of homes with families inside of them?

[Free_Thinking1]

14. As of late

I have honestly not seen any targeting of homes by Israel. I have seen photos of Palestinians hiding behind women and children during attacks by the Israeli army.

I'm not saying Israel is right, I don't think they are. I am saying that the Palestinian method of retaliating is very wrong. If they wanted to attack a legitimate military target, I would have no problems with that, but attacking discos, cafes and buses where they know they will kill nothing but innocent civilians is 100% evil in my opinion.

[kysrsoze]

17. Agreed. Suicide bombing civilians is not right

Neither side has made the right decisions. Hamas has recently been focusing on military targets. The problem is this continual cycle of fighting, rather than a focus on a negotiated solution. However, I have a problem with Israel calling for truce or pulling out of Gaza, then attacking and saying, "You'll get more of this unless you negotiate."

[Free_Thinking1]

19. Like I said

I don't support a lot of Israel's policies either. And we could play the "chicken and the egg" game all day about who attacked who and when and where.

I would love to see both sides sit down and talk and work something out. Sadly, I honestly don't see this ever happening.

[kysrsoze]

21. Unfortunately you're right about that.

I don't see real negotiation happening anytime soon. I believe we're going to see more violence.

[prodigal_green]

41. They lost my sympathy

When they bombed the disco. Yes, I strongly believe that there should be a Palestinian state, but specifically targeting civilians is not the way to convince the world. I also think that Sharon is a murderous jackass and should be voted out of office.

Another attack in New York feels so inevitable by now that most of my friends and colleagues are making sardonic jokes about it. One woman recently gave up smoking, but says she keeps an unopened packet of marlboros in her desk just in case something blows up.

[enki23]

13. if you can't distinguish between their terrorists and their civilians

then you've absolutely no right to expect them to rule your family out either.

[rednek_Liberal]

24. What about American College Students run over by Israeli Tanks,

Do you condone that?

[Free_Thinking1]

27. No, I wouldn't condone that

I also wouldn't condone college students going to war zones and standing in front of tanks.

[kysrsoze]

11. No, there still is plenty of rational debate here

It's just that there are a FEW here who don't see two sides to a story and see fit to constantly make excuses for all the attrocities Israel's government has committed and all the tense situations they get the U.S. into. Notice I said 'government.' Most of us have no issue with Israeli citizens and/or Jews, but abhor the policies of Sharon's Likud party.

Most of us also realize there are also huge ties between the U.S.'s and Israel's governments (take Wolfowitz, for instance). I think we're looking for trouble by standing back and allowing Sharon to do whatever he pleases. The Clinton adminstration was right by trying to broker a peaceful solution, but it's just window dressing for Bush administration. Truth is that they've now distanced themselves from the situation and THAT is what scares me.

[ZR2]

15. How did the Palestinians

come to own the land, that "resulting from the terror & land-theft by recent Israeli governments," in the first place ?

[kysrsoze]

16. Because they were living there in 1948 when the Israeli army

came in and forced them to leave or shot them if they didn't. This goes back much further than the recent settlements.

[Muddleoftheroad]

28. So all those Arab armies attacking had nothing to do with it?

Oy.

[kysrsoze]

29. Are you talking about these facts?

http://www.cactus48.com/statehood.html


What was the Arab reaction to the announcement of the creation of the state of Israel?

"The armies of the Arab states entered the war immediately after the State of Israel was founded in May. Fighting continued, almost all of it within the territory assigned to the Palestinian state...About 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled in the 1948 conflict." Noam Chomsky, "The Fateful Triangle."


Didn't the Palestinians leave their homes voluntarily during the 1948 war?

"Israeli propaganda has largely relinquished the claim that the Palestinian exodus of 1948 was 'self-inspired'. Official circles implicitly concede that the Arab population fled as a result of Israeli action - whether directly, as in the case of Lydda and Ramleh, or indirectly, due to the panic that and similar actions (the Deir Yassin massacre) inspired in Arab population centers throughout Palestine. However, even though the historical record has been grudgingly set straight, the Israeli establishment still refused to accept moral or political responsibility for the refugee problem it- or its predecessors - actively created." Peretz Kidron, quoted in "Blaming the Victims," ed. Said and Hitchens.

[Muddleoftheroad]

33. War

I love how these Arab units -- trained and equipped by one of the best militaries of the time (Britain) are supposed to have been ill-trained and equipped.

Noam Chomsky hates Israel and makes up Mideast history to fit his view.

[kysrsoze]

35. Yes, evidently the Jews who wrote that summation make up history too

Right?

[Muddleoftheroad]

37. Ask Chomsky about Cambodia

[The Stranger]

20. Try this.

http://www.cactus48.com/truth.html

[kysrsoze]

22. Excellent link - thanks for throwing it out here

[tlcandie]

25. Thanks!! Many believe as you do just don't say because

of the "others" who bash us on the head. They also like to argue for arugings sake and it gets very old.

You've said it straight like it should be stated!!

[Muddleoftheroad]

26. They are indeed my enemy

I am a friend of Israel and they seek to destroy Israel, so that pretty well settles it.

Besides, they are terrorists and terrorists are the enemies of all civilized peoples.

Hamas and their terror buddies have killed Americans before and will do so again. We should help Israel stamp them out.

[kysrsoze]

30. Yes, it's all the Palestinians' fault. I admit it. Israel does no wrong.

Please read the link from TheStranger. Again, this is written BY Jews regarding the conflict. Is is a fair view of the situation, not just one-sided.

[Muddleoftheroad]

31. I've never said Israel is perfect

So implying so gets you nowhere with me. However, in aggregate, it is clear Israel is indeed the side of democracy and the side against terror and that works for me.

[kysrsoze]

32. Yes, Israel is clearly on the side of democracy - for Israelis

[Muddleoftheroad]

34. Israelis -- that includes about one million Arabs

They get to vote and be members of the society. Now, how does that work in the Arab world? Heck, how does that work even in the PA controlled areas?

Oh yeah, that's right. Jews get ethnically cleansed or murdered. Hell, the PA kills you if they even think you cooperate with Israel.

[kysrsoze]

36. The PA and PLO were effectively dismantled by Sharon

They bombed all the the PA's offices and killed members of the PA. Now Hamas has backing of 40% of the Palestinian population. That should make for effective negotiation, no?

[Muddleoftheroad]

38. PA and PLO supported terror

Those who support terror are and should be targets.

[nolabels]

39. Just the usual type of suspects, reactionaries, don't fret

I think one would have a hard time finding someone here that could defend others who were stealing other peoples land, destroying their homes, rendering alleged collective Justice (killing groups of people because actions by individuals)etc.

The euphemisms that are proffered by these groups that pretend to be protecting what is called Israel (but is really just a colonial Zionist state) is all just to confuse people about what is really going on. They are also the things that give religious peace loving people a bad reputation.

[The Stranger]

9. Hamas' statement seems to isolate Israel and highlight the regional

problems -- the military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, the attacks on civilian targets by Israeli jets, the identity cards, checkpoints, refugee camps/ghettoes.

If Hamas has a problem only with Israel, then the U.S. has no dog in this fight.

Maybe the U.S. can start supporting moderate left-wing elements in the Israeli government instead of supporting a hard core right-wing government under Ariel Sharon.

[kysrsoze]

18. Very good point

However, there is a HUGE tie between Sharon's govt. and the Bush admin.

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

8. Makes me think they don't want to be "ETA'd"

and blamed for a gruesome attack that they didn't perpetrate. Do they know something we don't?

[mobuto]

23. Rather smart move

Things are warm enough for Hamas without targeting Americans. A change of tactics would just make things all the more difficult.

[Dover]

40. It's possible they fear the US will pin some bombing on them,

thus justifying direct U.S. intervention or retaliation.