Hamas obstructs peace process

It is concerning and quite telling that, in his column criticizing Israel, Richard Deaton didn’t even mention Hamas. In 2005, Israel left Gaza permanently in the hopes of advancing peace. Hamas, an internationally banned terrorist group, quickly took over the territory. Hamas has murdered Israelis in suicide bombings, missile strikes, and cross-border attacks. Sadly, Hamas invests millions in terror tunnels and weapons, rather than building a positive future for Gazans.

Israel is a liberal democracy, warts and all, very much like Canada. Polls show a majority of Israelis want peace and are prepared to compromise to make it happen. This is why Israel has repeatedly put forward peace proposals based on a two-state solution to the conflict, which were sadly rejected without counter-offer by Palestinian leaders.

The violent clashes along the Gaza-Israel border were orchestrated by Hamas to create chaos and make peace harder to achieve. Mr. Deaton conveniently omits that many of the Gazan fatalities were Hamas operatives or members of other terror groups, and that some were killed after firing assault rifles at Israelis. It is interesting that Hamas is more honest in this regard than Mr. Deaton is, with Hamas openly admitting its fighters were among the dead.

A better life for Israelis and Palestinians, which I strongly hope for, requires honest discussion that includes acknowledging the role Hamas plays. Sadly, peace will remain elusive as long as Hamas makes life difficult for both sides.” Darryl Bloom, Charlottetowm