Jesse Kline: Hamas cheers recognizing 'Palestine' but only if there is no Israel
Hamas agrees with much of the rest of the world that a ceasefire should take effect in Gaza, but says it 'must be implemented immediately, without linking it to any political issues,' such as the release of the remaining hostages. Nor are the terrorist groups at all willing to renounce violence. In fact, they say that 'Palestinian resistance in all its forms is a natural and legitimate response' to Israel's 'occupation,' and that their 'resistance will not cease until the occupation ends and our people achieve their goals.'
Article content
And those goals do not include two states living side by side in peace, but a Palestinian state that stretches from the river to the sea, with any Jews left alive forced to fend for themselves in the Mediterranean. They reject any talk of forging a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbours, saying that it would only 'prolong (Israel's) presence on our usurped land,' and demand not only an independent state with 'Jerusalem as its capital,' but the 'return of refugees' — i.e., allowing the descendants of the Arabs who fled Israel during its War of Independence to return, ensuing it would no longer be both a Jewish and a democratic state.
Article content
Hamas and its fellow jihadists leave no doubt that the only 'solution' that would be acceptable to them is one in which a Jewish state doesn't exist anywhere in the Middle East. This aligns with Hamas's founding charter — which references the group's 'struggle against the Jews,' and says that, 'In face of the Jews' usurpation of Palestine, it is compulsory that the banner of jihad be raised' — and its brutal October 7 massacre of 1,200 people in Israel.
Article content
And although the terror groups say they are open to elections, they have no intention of ceding power to more moderate forces, as Canada and its partners demand. Instead, they call for a 'national unity' government and for elections to be held 'without any preconditions.'
Article content
It's easy for Prime Minister Mark Carney to say that Canada's recognition is predicated on the PA's commitment to 'fundamentally reform its governance, to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.' But in reality, the PA holds no power in Gaza, and Hamas has made it clear that it will not step aside or disarm until it has achieved its genocidal goal of wiping Israel off the face of the earth.
Article content
Carney and other world leaders seem to think they can conjure a Palestinian state out of thin air — that with faith, trust and a little bit of pixie dust they can resolve one of the world's most intractable conflicts. In doing so, they have played right into the hands of Hamas, which clearly has no intention of following the path laid out by the New York Declaration, or of allowing the PA to fulfill the commitments it made to Canada and Australia. It's hard to see how the world will be able to force Hamas's hand without going into Gaza and forcefully rooting out the terrorists — the very type of operation that Israel is currently conducting.
Article content
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
3 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Cheap excuses for betraying free speech
This is getting out of hand in Canada. On Thursday, the chief executive of the Toronto International Film Festival was in damage-control mode after having announced the previous day that the festival was cancelling the premiere of a documentary because of unspecified safety concerns. Or was it copyright concerns? Or maybe a staff revolt? The film, The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, tells the story of a retired Israeli paratrooper who rescues his son and his son's family during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas. TIFF officials originally said the film was being pulled partly because the filmmakers hadn't procured the rights to Hamas's livestream footage of its massacre at the kibbutz where the son lived with his wife and two children. But that excuse was not repeated in an e-mail TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey sent to the filmmakers explaining the festival's decision. Instead, he said 'the risk of major, disruptive protest actions around the film's presence at the Festival, including internal opposition, has become too great.' A day later, Mr. Cameron apologized 'for any pain this situation may have caused' and denied that TIFF had censored the movie. He said he 'remains committed' to working with the filmmakers in order to 'allow the film to be screened.' (Late Thursday, TIFF said the movie would be part of the festival.) TIFF pledges to work with filmmakers of Oct. 7 documentary after pulling premiere Opinion: TIFF's latest censorship controversy is more than just a tiff. It's existential So, then, what was it that prompted TIFF to cancel the premiere initially: the festival's concerns about the intellectual property rights of a terrorist organization, or the 'internal opposition' and the threat of 'disruptive protest actions'? The latter is the better bet. This is the same organization that last year postponed screenings of a documentary, Russians at War, because it was 'aware of significant threats to festival operations and public safety.' That film, which followed a Russian battalion into battle in Ukraine, was accused of whitewashing Russian war crimes and condemned as Moscow propaganda. Chrystia Freeland, then the deputy prime minister, said she had 'grave concerns' about the film, while the Ukrainian Canadian Congress called for the resignation of TIFF's board. A year later, and now that people have actually watched it, Russians at War is said by critics to be a courageous antiwar film about disaffected and angry Russian soldiers forced to carry out Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. Moscow would never allow its citizens to watch this film. A year after controversial TIFF premiere, Russians at War deserves to be seen But it's not just TIFF that is cancelling shows and hiding behind unidentified threats to security these days. This summer brought the sorry spectacle of federal and municipal officials cancelling performances by a D-list American country musician who makes his living preaching the most retrograde parts of the MAGA agenda. After people protested, officials in cities where concerts were scheduled cited 'security concerns' to justify shutting them down, a move that of course gave Sean Feucht more visibility in Canada than he could have ever hoped for. Two things connect these examples. One is the fact that the security threats cited as grounds for cancelling shows are never spelled out. People have the perfect right to call for the cancellation of a screening or musical concert that doesn't jibe with their beliefs and values, but they do not have the right to threaten violence or disruption it they don't get their way. At the same time, organizers should not be able to imply coyly and without evidence that protesters will act illegally. By ducking behind vague security concerns instead of exerting the right to show what they please, officials leave open the possibility that what they are really doing is capitulating to the loudest voices in a polarized debate. The other disturbing commonality is that officials are failing to reflexively protect the invaluable right to freedom of artistic and political expression in Canada. We have no doubt that if noisy protesters demanded the withdrawal of a TIFF movie because of its glorification of violence, TIFF officials would be the first to stand up for the filmmaker's right to artistic expression. But when it comes to telling stories or singing songs that some deem offensive, that reflex has been replaced by a knee-jerk run for cover. This is an alarming development in Canada. In difficult times, we need people in positions of authority to stand up for freedom of expression – not look for excuses to abandon it. That never ends well for anyone.
Globe and Mail
3 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Here is how Russia's war in Ukraine has shaped global markets
World markets are watching closely as U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska later on Friday to seal a possible ceasefire agreement in Ukraine. This was a conflict that sparked an energy shock, sent food prices soaring, battered European assets and cut Russia's economy off from much of the Western world. Details and the longevity of any agreement will be key. 'The big issue will be, of course, that even if we get a ceasefire, how sustainable is that?,' said Zurich Insurance Group's chief markets strategist Guy Miller. Here is how Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two has shaped markets. Europe's reliance on cheap Russian gas meant its economy and stock market were ill-equipped to handle surging energy prices, and Germany's economy, Europe's industrial powerhouse, stagnated. Stocks were broadly punished, with sectors reliant on low energy prices, such as industrials and chemicals , notably hit. European banks also took a drubbing but have since recovered as those exposed to Russia cut ties. It has not been all doom and gloom and the European STOXX 600 index is not far off March's record high. Aerospace and defence stocks have had a supercharged rally since February 2022, with gains ranging from over 600 per cent for Leonardo to over 1,500 per cent for Rheinmetall . 'If the fighting stops in Ukraine, I'd expect defence stocks to come off a little bit but I think the fundamental reason why defence stocks have rallied is still there,' said Toni Meadows, CIO at BRI Wealth Management. 'If Putin is still there and Trump is still there, then the need for Europe to spend on defence is still there.' The invasion triggered a surge in European energy prices. Brent crude rose as much as 30 per cent to $139 a barrel, while natural gas prices soared nearly 300 per cent to record highs. Crude subsided in the following months. But Dutch TTF futures, the regional benchmark for natural gas soared as Europe scrambled for an alternative to the Russian gas that fed over 40 per cent of total demand. Europe has since become increasingly reliant on U.S. super-chilled liquefied natural gas. The European Union has committed to boosting its purchases of U.S. crude, gas and coal from around $75 billion in 2024 to $250 billion per year to 2027, under a new U.S. trade deal - a figure most experts say is unrealistic. Oil and gas prices are below 2022 peaks, but they are higher than five years ago, up 50 per cent and 300 per cent, respectively. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the war ensured the inflation genie was well out of its bottle as energy and food prices soared with agricultural exports from Russia and Ukraine - two leading grain exporters - disrupted. Central banks backtracked on the notion that an inflation spike was 'transitory' and aggressive interest rate hikes followed. Since late 2022, inflation and rates have come down in big economies and focus shifted to U.S. tariffs. High food prices remain a concern, especially for developing economies. World food commodity prices rose in July to their highest in over two years, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization. 'If Ukraine could operate normally as an economy, that would help food prices around the world,' said April LaRusse, head of investment specialists at Insight Investment. Ukraine's economy was battered by the war. The country was forced to restructure $20 billion of its government debt last year as it could no longer afford the repayments given the demands of the conflict. Its bonds then rallied on hopes that a re-elected Trump would broker a peace deal but plunged following increasingly ugly exchanges between Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy culminated in February's infamous Oval Office meeting. The bonds recovered some ground again this week. Russia's economy also contracted after the West introduced sweeping sanctions but soaring defence spending led to a rebound in 2023 and 2024. After jacking up rates to combat the subsequent inflation spike though, some Russian officials now warn of recession risks. Russia's rouble sank to a record low soon after the invasion, but rebounded to seven-year highs later in 2022 as imports dried up. It is up nearly 40 per cent against the dollar this year. Russia and China meanwhile now do more of their trade in the yuan, which has overtaken the dollar as Russia's most traded foreign currency. The war hit the euro, which fell almost 6 per cent against the dollar in 2022 as the economic impact was felt. Analysts say any improving sentiment created by a ceasefire could help the euro, but note that other factors, such as monetary policy were also key. 'The euro might benefit, but we wouldn't see this as a game changer for the currency,' said Frederique Carrier, head of investment strategy for RBC Wealth Management in the British Isles and Asia. While safe-havens such as the dollar and Swiss franc benefited , the conflict shaped currencies in other ways. Analysts say the use of sanctions against Russia and a decision by the West to freeze some $300 billion of Russian states assets in 2022 has accelerated de-dollarisation, in short, efforts by countries to decrease reliance on the dollar. Be smart with your money. Get the latest investing insights delivered right to your inbox three times a week, with the Globe Investor newsletter. Sign up today.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Hezbollah vows to keep arms, says Lebanon's disarmament plan serves Israel
Hezbollah supporters chant slogans as they gather to welcome Ali Larijani, head of Iran's National Security Council, outside Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) BEIRUT — The leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group on Friday vowed not to disarm, saying last week's decision by the national government to remove the Iran-backed group's weapons by the end of the year serves Israel's interests. Naim Kassem said the government's decision to remove 'the defensive weapons of the resistance, its people and Lebanon during an aggression' facilitates the killing of 'resistance fighters and their families and evict them from their land and homes.' He said the government should have instead 'spread its authority and evicted Israel from Lebanon.' Speaking in a televised speech to mark a Shiite religious event, he added 'the government is serving the Israeli project.' Kassem added if the ongoing crisis leads to an internal conflict, the government is to blame. He noted that Hezbollah and its Shiite ally, the Amal movement, did not to ask their supporters to protest in the streets to give way for more discussions. The Amal movement was one of the main armed groups in Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war and is now a powerful political party led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. But, he said if a decision is taken to protest in the streets, protesters 'will be all over Lebanon and head to the U.S. embassy.' He did not elaborate. Hezbollah's weapons have been a major dividing point in Lebanon with some groups that are opposed to Hezbollah saying only the state should be allowed to have arms. The Lebanese government voted last week for a U.S.-backed plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year and implement a ceasefire with Israel. The small Mediterranean country has been under international pressure to get Hezbollah to lay down its arms since the 14-month war with Israel that ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November. However, the Hezbollah leader said his group will only discuss a national defense strategy over its weapons once Israel withdraws from Lebanon and stops its almost daily airstrikes that have killed scores of Hezbollah members since the war's end. 'The resistance will not hand over its weapons as the aggression continues and occupation remains,' Kassem said, adding that the group will fight a long battle if needed. The Israel-Hezbollah war weakened the Iran-backed group and left much of its military and political leadership dead. The war killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, displaced over 1 million and caused destruction that the World Bank said will cost US$11 billion in reconstruction. After the war ended, Israeli forces stayed in five overlooking locations inside Lebanon. Israel has accused Hezbollah of trying to rebuild its military capabilities. Israel's military has said the five locations in Lebanon provide vantage points or are located across from communities in northern Israel, where about 60,000 Israelis were displaced during the war. Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press
