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Hamas, ISIS and the Nature of Terrorism
(Chicago Tribune) Naftali Bennett - Hamas, we are told, simply wants freedom, that it is a political organization that we should sit down with and negotiate a peaceful resolution. In Syria and Iraq, though, leaders from across the free world are united in their decision that the Islamic State, ISIS, needs to be crushed and destroyed. No one has recommended a cease-fire and no one recommends meeting ISIS leaders in a third country for negotiations. When it comes to ISIS, war is war, evil is evil and ISIS needs to be eliminated. What the free world fails unfortunately to understand is that Israel's conflict with Hamas and the current battle to stop ISIS are one and the same. Both are radical Islamic organizations. ISIS wants to establish a caliphate throughout the world. Hamas wants to do the same in Israel. These are organizations motivated by religion, not by nationalistic aspirations, and they do not hesitate to use extreme violence to advance and achieve their goals. While ISIS beheads journalists and adversaries, Hamas kidnaps and slaughters teenage yeshiva students. For both, the only option is complete acceptance of Sharia. Anything else means you are an apostate or an infidel. As long as Hamas and ISIS remain in power, there will not be a chance to create long-lasting stability or peace in the Middle East. If we in the free world, however, unite, recognize the global threat and take action, we have a chance to defeat these terror groups and send a message to all others that might be on their way. The writer is Israel's minister of economy.