Should Isreal Government cease providing funds to Hamas?
358766
Yes Hamas is a terrorist group thats only goal is to destroy Isreal. so why should they support them?
375343
They will be in a better position to bargain whether they use it or not. It would be pretty stupid to blow up Isreal and stupid people are not planning this.
530197
if we pulled our aid from palestine...well it probably would have little effect, outside of non-profits, the support our government gives them is largely nill and imaginative.\n\nas for isriel...well that might be a different story.  but then i would like to think we have given them enough already that they can stand on their own two feet by now.
323507
There is a tough semantic rift here--Hamas wants Israel to acknowledge that Palestine exists; Israel wants Hamas to recognize that Israel has the "right" to exist.\n\nIsrael should bridge the semantic gap by saying, yes obviously, that country on the other side of our fence is Palestine.  They exist, they have a right to exist.  \n\nThat doesn't mean they should simply accept rocket attacks.  Israel has already come up with some pretty wild technology associated with repelling violent attack with non-violent means.  Until their technology advances to cope with the new situation, unfortunately, it means they must take some military action in order to prevent those rocket attacks.\n\nThis proceeds logically to a point of irresolution--the inventiveness required to make guerilla attacks on Israeli soil will always precede the technological ability to repel those attacks non-violently.\n\nHamas therefore will never have the latitude to change its doctrine without a recognition from Israel that a Hamas-run Palestine is a fact and in existence.  Israel is loathe to concede this, for fear of having no recourse to guerilla attacks without outright declaration of war.\n\nThere is also a possibility, at least for the present, that a Palestine with the power to prevent individual guerilla attacks on Israel does not exist.  At the future point which guerilla attacks must be coordinated in order to succeed, Hamas might then possess the power to say absolutely, we can prevent guerilla attacks if you recognize us as a state and not a territory.\n\nSo there is that small hope.  And there is also hope that Palestinians will use their resources in a creative instead of destructive way, and begin to nurture their fledgling state in an economically responsible and non-retaliative way.  However, based on recent rhetoric, I believe that the money that Iran is sending Palestine is ear-marked only for destruction.\n\nThus I believe Hamas will entrench itself in its doctrine, and as a result, prevent the possibility of peace.
690554
The Palestinian people elected Hamas (a terrorist group) as their government.  I think this is called "cause and effect".  You elect terrorists into your government and the people who gave you aide will stop giving.\n\nSeems pretty simple to me.
680103
It is still supporting Hamas.  The goal is to not have peace with the Palestinians and to steal thier land, having a reactionary government that Israel can falt out reject and ignore diplomatically is exactly why Israel supported Hamas in the first place.  It is ideal if the goal is to ignore efforts such as the Road Map, because of course, they "don't recognize Israel".  The fact is that Hamas could be brought to the table and would recognize Israel, but a long pattern of negotiations where Palestinaisn offered all and Israel offered ntohing reasonable by far (camp david) has made the Hamas line hard.  Palestinaians elected Hamas because they are tired of leadership that acts in accord with Israels rejection of peace and in doing so capitulates to the oppressor.  But Israel is in control (because the US allows it) and can only be brought to justice if the American people put pressure on them to do so, it is in our hands, make a call, write a letter, it is the least we can do.
186148
Absolutely not! Government funds are not to be allocated to religious organizations. The founding fathers of the United States of America would be turning in their grave. When religous groups want to start taking advantage of federal fund and programs, then those same groups can start paying taxes.
135593
B"H\nDemocracy isn't a cure-all.  When a group of people vote for a government that supports suicide bombing to try to wipe out a particular race, and has as part of its statutes the refusal of any compromise and the insistance on a violent end to another people, the country needs to be held responsible (no more treating terrorists as "renegades" - action should now be taken against the nation itself instead of just chasing after individual murderers).\n\nIt is contrary to international law to advocate war.  The Palistinean governement includes in its charter the following:\n\n"[Peace] initiatives, the so-called peaceful solutions, and the international conferences to resolve the Palestinian problem, are all contrary to the beliefs of the Islamic Resistance Movement."\n\n"There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by Jihad."  The initiatives, proposals and International Conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility."\n\nWhat defines a terrorist is not a subjective matter.  There are clear outlines for this under UN guidelines.  The government of Hamas will not stop killing until (GD forbid) they have wiped out every Jew.  \n\nTheir goal is NOT peace; their goal is NOT religious freedom; their goal is GENOCIDE.\n\nTheir government sanctioned terrorist actions must be recognized as an act of war and treated as such.
127941
Yes it is hypocritical of the U.S to refuse diplomatic relations with Hamas! Why? Did you know that before we gained our independence from England we were considered terrorists by much of the world? Who are we to refuse relations with a democraticly elected government? You can't have it both ways.....you are either for democracy or you are not. If we are willing to go to war to impose democracy on others, we MUST be willing to accept their democratic choices.........However, we do not have to give aid to them. A gift is just that, a voluntary giving. We get to choose who we give to.
71135
'EVER'  - sure.\n\nWhile Hamas is in charge.... NO, absolutely not.\n\nThis is rather discouraging, especially considering the progress that has been made recently, and the sacrafices on both sides to get where they were in the peace process.\n\nSo unless Hamas is kicked out...\n\nBest case scenerio, Hamas becomes a legitimate political organization (as opposed to a terrorist organization) and, maybe in 20 years, peace becomes possible again.\n\nWorst case scenerio, Hammas promotes more attacks on Israel some more and Israel eventually gets mad and destorys Palestine, enciting Iran to attack Israel, probobly with Syria's help.  America would get involved to help Israel, which would draw in Great Brittian, Russia, Poland (maybe France) on our side and set up WWIII. \nUS, England, Russia, Israel Vs. Palestine, Iran, Syria
121206
i think no and to know about your goverment so go out your country and see what they do. All what they care about is to help Israel and the huge bussnes men that conltrolling the USA
104451
No, US should not give any aid to Palestine because it is just for 'show off'. \n\nUS should not give aid, especially military aid to Israel because it supports the conflict and 'unlawful use of force' of Israel to Palestinian.\n\n\n\n"Israel remained the largest recipient of U.S. military and economic aid, receiving almost U.S.$3 billion in 2005. \n\nIn contrast, after a May meeting between Bush and Abbas, Bush pledged U.S.$50 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) for housing and other construction following the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. However Congress later earmarked part of this money to be used to beef up “border crossings” along the wall, which are mostly located on occupied West Bank land. \n\nIn September 2005, following the Israeli withdrawal, the United States approved disbursement of a U.S.$3 million supplemental grant to the P.A. security services." \n\nSource: Human Rights Watch\nhttp://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/01/18/isrlpa12224.htm
839458
No. I want the government to spend less in other areas in order to pay for these projects. Too much money is spent on meaningless pork. Too much money is wasted in fraud, waste and abuse. The government needs to do what most families have to do, namely tighten its belt and live within its budget.
409128
Hamas has so far refused to recognize Israel's right to exist. No matter how you feel about the conflict in Palestine, you must admit that Israel isn't going anywhere. It's time the Arabs realized that and try to find a way to make peace. Unfortunately many of these people are extremely hard-headed. Once Hamas start running the affairs of the Palestinian people in a responsible way and enter diplomatic relations with Israel, then and only then should we support them.
1142909
No, we should not continue our support.  We never should have given it in the first place, and here's why:\n\nIf Israel is a sovereign nation, then it needs to act like one & quit hiding behind America's skirts like a bunch of scared children [granted, most children aren't allowed to play with nuclear weapons, but that's the answer to a whole other question].\n\nAlso, I'm sick & tired of Isreal's oppression of Palestine being defended by America, a land that [allegedly] does not condemn people based on their religon.  It's reall quite hypocritical of our leaders to even consider it.\n\nIf, on the other hand, they would care to become America's 51st state then I would be Happyto see them afforded all the rights, freedoms, and protections that come with being part of the union.\n\nBottom line:  Sink or swim Isreal, and let history judge you as it has the rest of the world.\n\n...I for one couldn't care less...why anyone would claim such a gods forsaken place as the middle east as a 'holy land' is beyond my comprehension...\n\nStop.\nThink.\nResist.
258060
Yes there is and there will be.\n\nThe cure is Justice. Without Justice there will be no compassion. Without Compassion, there will be mayhem and destruction.\n\n\nOccupied Palestine must become free, and a large chunk of the terrorism will be over. Palestinians want thier freedom, the 1.3 BILLION Muslims and 290 Million Arabs want Palestinians' freedom aswell, trust me, i'm like in the Middle East more than I am here, if Palestine becomes free, Muslims and Arabs will not have a reason to fight, because it's as simple as this, they're angry that a fellow country is under US supported Jewish extremists (there's no hiding it, Zionism IS a form of Jewish extremism) occupation.\n\nEnd the occupation, end the "global terrorism".\n\nWar is a form of terrorism too, we're in the business too aren't we???
1173569
Nothing new, the "internaional community"  can ignore the weeks of shelling by the Israeli army of Gaza, the firing of hundreds of missiles into the crowded Strip that have destroyed Palestinian lives and property, while spreading terror among the civilian population and deepening the psychological trauma suffered by a generation of children. They can ignore the deaths of more than 30 civilians, and dozens of horrific injuries, in the past few weeks at the hands of the Israeli military, including three children hit in a botched air strike last week, and a heavily pregnant woman and her doctor brother killed a day later as a missile slammed into the room where they were eating dinner.\nThey can ignore the blockade of Gaza's "borders" by the Israeli army for months on end, which has prevented Palestinians in the Strip from trading goods at crossing points with Israel and from receiving vital supplies of food and medicines. As a captive population besieged by Israeli soldiers, Gazans are facing a humanitarian catastrophe sanctioned by Israeli government policy and implemented by the Israeli army. They can ignore Israel's bullying of the international community to connive in the starving of the Hamas-led government of funds and diplomatic room for manoeuvre, thereby preventing the elected Palestinian leadership from running Gaza. So desperate is the situation there that Hamas officials are being forced to smuggle in millions of dollars of cash stuffed in suitcases to pay salaries. And finally They can ignore the violation of Palestinian territory by Israeli commandos who infiltrated Gaza a day before the Palestinian attack to kidnap two Palestinians Israel claims are terrorists. They have been "disappeared", doubtless to be be held in administrative detention, where they can denied access to lawyers, the courts and, of course, justice. This attack in Israel, they tell us, is the most serious to date, with the implication that it is therefore illegitimate and part of the same "escalation". Even ignoring the fact that this attack was against Israeli soldiers besieging, imprisoning and shelling the Palestinians of Gaza, does the "international community" not to pause to consider the double standard it is applying? Was the Israeli army's incursion into Gaza a day earlier to capture two alleged Palestinian militants not an equal escalation? Was it not an equal violation of Palestinian sovereignty? Of course not. The "international community" knows, as do the rest of us, that the army never really left Gaza and the occupation never really ended. But you won't hear that from any of its reporters.