What is your opinion of Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas?

[poskonig]

Some on the left view these as just organizations. I'm not too keen on them myself for reasons I may state later. I'm curious what the individual opinions are here at DU.

[plurality]

1. Hizb Allah is fine, not too keen on IJ or Hamas

Hizb Allah is more or less the Lebanese Army and they were defending their country from invasion, which any group has a right to do.

I don't like Islamic Jihad or Hamas as they do more harm to the Palestinian cause by commiting acts that turn people who could be potentially sympathetic to the Palestinians against them.

[Jacobin]

2. Seems to me that they are at war with the U.S. and Israel

for reasons which are not too difficult to comprehend.

Since they attack U.S. and Israeli interests, they are the "enemy".

Will be difficult to have a rational discussion about their complaints and goals. Obviously, for them to have gone to the trouble of declaring war on the west, they must feel that they have legitimate gripes.

(covering head and running)

[plurality]

3. actually, Hizb Allah is at war with no one and

IJ and Hamas are only at war with Israel. I think they're content to leave it at that.

[mmm]

4. They are fighting a just war. None of them is at war with the US.

[durutti]

5. Who views them as "just organizations"?

More mythical left anti-Semitism, I take it.

Philosophically, I don't agree with any of them. I'm against all forms of nationalism and theocracy.

However, I support their right to resist the occupation through all legal means (i.e., those which don't target civilian noncombatants).

[Djinn]

6. of course

the "anti-semitism" accusations are already here

[solinvictus]

12. Israel

"However, I support their right to resist the occupation through all legal means (i.e., those which don't target civilian noncombatants)."

And Israel doesn't target civilians? Any criticism of Zionism is called anti-semitism even though, by definition, the Arabs are Semites as well.

[durutti]

14. But but but...

Yes, Israeli troops and settlers target civilians. And they're wrong to do it. But two wrongs don't make a right. Both contribute to the cycle of senseless violence.

Arabs are technically Semites, but anti-Semitism was coined to refer to and has always meant Jew hatred. Yes, it's misleading. But quibbling over semantics doesn't do much to further the debate.

[solinvictus]

18. Anti-Semitism

Old definition of anti-Semite: one who dislikes Jews
New definition: one the Jews dislike

[maxsolomon]

7. they suck

so does sharon & likud

so does america

all hands are bloody.

[demosincebirth]

8. religious fanatics

They are all nothing but fundamentalist fanatics. Any group that brainwashes youngers to be suicide bombers,something is terribly wrong with their thinking.

[Terwilliger]

9. What's your opinion on Likud, Neo-con, or Republican?

American Enterprise Institute, Cato Institute, National Review?

[arewethereyet]

10. insane zealots or two-bit con men ?

a little of both. they perpetuate conflict to keep their phoney baloney jobs and satisfy their egos.

just like the Unionists in Northern Ireland.

[forgethell]

11. They're all

murdering monsters. By their very existence they invalidate any justice in the Islamic or Palestinian cause.

[Djinn]

13. riiight

so Baruch Goldstein invalidated any justice in the Israeli "cause"

what a stupid thing to say

[durutti]

15. Well said.

n/t

[durutti]

16. Not all.

Hard to believe as it may seem, there are moderates in all three groups. And Hezbollah doesn't target civilians -- so it's a legitimate paramilitary group, as far as I'm concerned.

[anti-NAFTA]

17. terrorist groups. HAMAS was created by the Mossad

HAMAS was created by the Mossad to counter the Marxist Soviet-backed elements of the Palestinian resistance.

I think these groups are scum.

[plurality]

19. well say goodbye to this thread...

[undergroundrailroad]

20. Locking per I/P Guidelines

New threads must be based on a recently-published news item or op-ed piece.


Undergroundrailroad
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