Israeli officials are facing backlash after years of Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu quietly allowing Hamas to remain in power.

But reporting in the New York Times has revealed that Netanyahu’s government was more hands-on about helping Hamas: they helped a Qatari diplomat bring suitcases of cash into Gaza, indirectly boosting the militant organization, according to the report.

The calculus — the Times reported on Sunday, citing Israeli officials, Netanyahu’s critics, and the man’s own reported statements — was to keep Hamas strong enough to counteract the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, allowing Netanyahu to avoid a two-state peace solution and keep both sides weak.

Israeli security officials got it wrong; they didn’t think Hamas was capable, or even interested, in launching a large attack against the Jewish state.

  • @[email protected]
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    41 year ago

    Do you mind pointing out where “the Zionist Federation of Germany sold out their own people to keep their assets” ?

    Regarding the nuance it’s not unimportant that Lehi was an offshoot of an offshoot and certainly not representative for the entire Yishuv. They were sentenced for their actions (but later pardonned).

    In '40-'42 no on knew who was going to come out victorious, so different factions were betting either on both horses. The mufti of Jerusalem, for example, was going all in for the nazi’s. And a lot of Arab nationalists actually preferred Germany over the British which they hated for letting in (jewish) immigrants.

    • @sigmund
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      21 year ago

      As I understand it, one Lehi leader (Yitzhak Shamir) went on to become Israel’s PM for two terms. He also approved the assassination of Folke Bernadotte, a Swedish diplomat working to negotiate peace in the region.

      It’s clear they had influence in post-WW2 Israel.

      • @[email protected]
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        11 year ago

        They sure did, they tried to rehabilitate them. Yithzak Rabin was part of a terrorist group as well, went on to serve as PM for two terms, and was assassinated for working towards a two state solution…

    • @dlpkl
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      11 year ago

      I believe they’re talking about the Haavara agreement. From my understanding the Jewish community worldwide was boycotting Nazi Germany by not doing business with them, and the Haavara agreement was seen as cooperation with the Nazis and their anti-Semitic policy.

      • @[email protected]
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        11 year ago

        That agreement was about paying nazi Germany to facilitate migration to Israel. But riccosuave is making a comparison with Bibi sacrificing a few thousand of his citizens to create a casus belli. So I guess/hope he’s talking about something else?