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Does Aid to Gaza Prop Up Hamas Rule?

(Israel Hayom) Prof. Efraim Inbar - The strong desire to end the terror from Gaza, once and for all, is understandable but unrealistic. Beyond the border is a large population that hates the Jews and carried out terror attacks against Israel in the past even when Israel ruled Gaza. Putting an end to the Hamas rulership would not end the popularity of Hamas among the Palestinians. As numerous studies have shown, there is no direct connection between poverty and terrorist activity. The Palestinian wave of terror known as the Second Intifada that began in 2000 took place when the standard of living of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza was higher than ever. Hamas chooses to use terror against Israel not because of the low standard of living in Gaza but due to its extremist ideology that advocates the elimination of the Jewish state. Therefore, Israel must wean itself from the naive belief that improving the standard of living of the Palestinians in Gaza will reduce terror. Actually, the opposite is probably true. The suffering of the Gazans might induce them over time to rebel against Hamas. It makes no sense to make Hamas rule more tolerable. The writer is president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies.
2018-06-29 00:00:00
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