The Hamas - Israel War, From October 7, 2023
To the January 10, 2024
Interview by Journalist Lucretia Berzintu with Prof. Ada Aharoni, Founder and World President of the International Forum for Peace Literature and Culture (IFLAC)
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Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist terrorist organization. Its stated goal is the destruction of the State of Israel and its transformation into an Islamic Palestinian state.
Hamas's ideology is based on a complex mix of political and religious aspects. It is considered a terrorist by several countries and organizations, including the United States, Canada, the European Union and Israel. It is known for its use of extreme violence and attacks on civilians in an attempt to achieve its goal of destroying Israel.
Over the years, the terrorist organization Hamas has been responsible for starting numerous wars against Israel, suicide bombings, rocket attacks and other violent actions directed against Israel.
The most horrifying attack was the one on October 7, 2023, which was, a genocide massacre of peaceful? Israeli villagers living in villages and kibbutzim*, near the Israeli border of the Gaza Strip. It also included butchering hundreds of young people celebrating the possibility of Peace with their Palestinian neighbors, during the "Supernova" Festival, in the Negev desert. After their atrocious attack on the Festival, Hamas terrorists murdered and burned over 1400 civilian villagers of all ages, including babies that they roasted alive in ovens! They raped many girls and women, tortured and maimed hundreds of innocent peace-loving? people, and cruelly kidnapped 248 hostages, including babies, children, women and old people, and kept them in deep dark tunnels in the Gaza Strip, to this day.
I proposed to Professor Ada Aharoni, (Ph.D), author,? poet, lecturer, sociologist and Peace Researcher - born in Egypt and living in Israel – to? Interview her about the 7th of October, and about her view on how to solve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict after the War.? Ada, who is also? the Founder and World President of IFLAC WORLD: The International Forum for Peace Literature and Culture - kindly responded to my request to grant me this interview. Here it is:
Lucre?ia Berzintu (L.B.):?More than two months after the massacre committed by Hamas terrorists on civilians in Israel, it is still not possible to understand how such a thing was possible. Israel's Secret Service reportedly ignored a report and called it an "imaginary scenario" three weeks before the attack. The information turned out to be true, including the attack on the kibbutzim. How do you comment on this?
Ada Aharoni (A.A.):The Watcher Soldier - Girls saw that there were suspicious movements and white Jeeps approaching the border and they notified their Commanders, however they did not believe them! Journalists wrote, that they did not believe the Watchers because they were girls and that if they were boys they would have believed them! Most of the girls were killed by the Hamas Terrorists or kidnapped as hostages to Gaza! If the Commanders has listened to the warning of soldier-girls it would have saved so many lives!
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L.B.:?A temporary cease-fire and exchange of Israeli Kidnapped?? women and childrenfor Palestinian prisoners was reached. What can you tell us about these actions?
AA:?Qatar and Egypt arranged with Israel for a five days cease-fire on both sides, in which everyday 10 Israeli women and children would be exchanged for 30 Palestinian women and youth Palestinian prisoners. This worked for four days but on the 5th day Hamas announced that they do not hold any more women and children hostages and that they are held by the Hisballah organization in Gaza, and they started shooting rockets at Israel again!? There are still 148 kidnapped hostages held in Gaza, including babies, children, women and old people.
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L.B.:?According to local information, do you know the state of health of the hostages who arrived in Israel?
A.A.:??The kidnapped hostages?who returned to Israel were all taken to hospitals, as their health badly deteriorated and they had lost much weight. Most of the girls and women were cruelly raped, many were disembodied, and several had lost their legs and were badly wounded and had to be operated.? They were kept for more than 3 months in dark dungeon - tunnels without the possibility of breathing freely or seeing the light of day, and they were fed only one meal a day, mostly of rice.
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L.B.:?What is behind the violence in Israel since 1948? One would think it is the lack of a Palestinian State next to the Israeli one. But once Israel is not recognized by the Palestinians, how would this conflict be resolved?
A.A.:?On 29th November 1947,?the great majority of the United Nations voted for the establishment of a Jewish State in Israel. The UN declared that there would be a partition of Palestine into two States: an Israeli State and a Palestinian State. Israel accepted, however the Palestinians refused.? Since then, every one of the Palestinian-Israeli wars was started by the Palestinians, to destroy Israel. However, Israel has no intention of being destroyed and it has the right to defend itself. The present horrible war was started by Hamas, that was sure this time, with the help they received from Iran, they would succeed to destroy Israel. The destruction of Israel is indeed their main goal, as stated in their Hamas Charter, and not the well-being of the Palestinian people, as they publicise in their fake news propaganda.
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L.B.:?It seems that Jews and Palestinians, in the majority, would like to live in peace but their fate is in the hands of politicians. Moreover, the fate of most Palestinians is in the hands of Hamas terrorists. What needs to be done to achieve lasting peace?
A.A.:?To achieve lasting peace their should be a mutual recognition of the national aspirations of both sides by both sides. The Palestinians should realise that Israel is a legitimate State and that it has the right to live in peace. On the other hand, the Israelis should recognize that the Palestinians should have a peaceful State of their own.? American President Joe Biden, who supports Israel’s goal of annihilating the Terrorist Hamas organization, suggests that after the War, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas should fulfil his role of President of all the Palestinian people, including Gaza. He would be strengthened and empowered by the UN and the six Arab States that have made peace with Israel, so that it would be possible to establish an unarmed and peaceful Palestinian State by the side of Israel.
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L.B.:?What is Iflac’s contribution to reaching a Peace Agreement?
A.A.:??IFLAC's contribution to reaching a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians is manifold. We researched the question of a possible Palestinian-Israeli reconciliation and Peace Treaty, and developed the MRNA Plan: Mutual Recognition of National Aspirations by both Israelis and Palestinians - toward each other. If the MRNA is? accepted by both sides, then all the other questions like safety, frontiers, Palestinian immigrants, water, etc., can be solved. We sent our MRNA Plan to President Joe Biden and to President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as to major Israeli leaders.?
We are glad that Pres. Biden’s proposal is similar to our MRNA proposed plan. It is hoped that the leading Politicians on both sideswill accept it. IFLAC continues to develop and? publish its MRNA Reconciliation and Peace Plan, through all the social networks
In our Open IFLAC Letter to President Mahmoud Abbas we suggested that he joins the Abraham Peace Accord, and become the seventh Arab country to make Peace with Israel.? Seven is a lucky number in Islam, and it would bring much luck, promotion and well-being to the Palestinian people and it would be a win-win situation for both Palestine and Israel.
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L.B.:?With this war there was an increase in anti-Semitism in the world. How can this phenomenon be explained and combated?
A.A.:?Hamas pretended to be Freedom Fighters for the Palestinian cause, and their fake news propaganda as underdogs was tremendous and it spread worldwise, which unfortunately caused the increase of anti-Semitism in the world, as? people usually identify with the underdog.? The truth that they committed a genocide against the Israelis and that they used the Palestinians as human shields, while they themselves cowardly hid in their tunnels - is now slowly reaching the world, as the Palestinians holding white flags run away from Hamas and are helped by the Israeli soldiers to reach a safe southern zone, where water, food and and medecine are provided.?
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L.B.:?In fact, this war against Islamist terrorism is being waged by Israel for the whole world. Looks like the entire West are in favor, right?
A.A.:?Yes this is indeed so.? IFLAC wrote to the Secreary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, that instead of blaming Israel for continuing the War against Hamas, he and the UN should help Israel to eliminate terrible Terrorist Hamas, just as Terrorist Daesh- Isis and Al Qaida were eliminated before that. The world has to thank Israel for ridding it of horrible Hamas, and endangering its soldiers everyday in doing so. Many Israeli soldiers have already lost their lives in their combat against evil Hamas.
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L.B.:?We, from afar, were horrified by the attacks by Hamas terrorists on civilians in Israel on October 7, 2023, on Black Saturday. What was and is the state of mind of the Israeli population as seen from the scene?
A.A.:?The Horror of the abominable attack by Hamas on innocent peace yearning civilians, is felt by many Israelis as a new Shoa! They Israeli people were so sure that the Israeli army was guarding them safely, and the disappointment in both the Government and the army are great.
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L.B.:?Even though Israel is waging a war to defend the country and the Israeli population, even for the country's independence, there are still many criticisms of Israel's response in the Gaza Strip. Do you think Israel might have another way to fight Hamas terrorism?
A.A.:?According to the army chiefs, the armed entry into Gaza by the IDA – Israel? Defence Army, to destroy the many deep and vast tunnels full of armaments, wide enough for cars to run through them – is the only way to overcome Hamas.? Other elements in the Israeli Government say that the army should bomb Gaza by airplanes and not endanger the soldiers. IFLAC’s view is that Terrorist Hamas, that is a rotten potatoin the Palestinian sack – has to be ousted, before it spreads and endangersother countries, and that probably, the way the fighting is done now is the most effective way. However, there is a danger of hitting the kidnapped Israelis by mistake. This indeed happened yesterday, when Israeli soldiers shot three Israeli hostages that had escaped from Hamas - by mistake!
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L.B.:?It is known that Hamas has always expressed its goals clearly: the promotion of Jihad and the extermination of Israel. After the destruction of Hamas, how do you see the political administration of the Gaza Strip for a lasting peace in the region?
A.A.:?After the horrifying attack by Hamas on October 7,? Israel realized? that if it wants to live in peace with its Gazan neighbors, it has to destroy the Hamas leader Sinwar (whose very name indicates he has Sinned with War - and committed a crime against Humanity), and the entire Hamas Terrorist gang.
As mentioned above, I certainly agree with President Joe Biden’s plan of empowering and strengthening President Mahmoud Abbbas, who recognizes Israel as a legitimate State, to govern the whole of Palestine, together with the aid of Unifil and other International elements.This would enable the establishment of a peaceful unarmed Palestine by the side of Israel.
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(L.B.:?If you have anything to add with reference to the situation of this war and I omitted to ask you, you may do so now.
A.A.:?Your questions were excellent and probing – nothing to add!)
?L.B.:?Please, a message of peace for everyone, coming from IFLAC!
Here it is:
IFLAC WORLD stands with Israel and also with the poor Palestinian people who have raised white flags and are against Hamas for using them as body-shields in War Time, and for destroying their lives by War after War!
We call on Terrorist Hamas Leader?Sinwar?to stop shooting rockets at Israel and stop the War against Israel at once! Instead of cowardly hiding in his deep tunnels, he should deliver himself at once and be brought to justice for the Genocide he committed on peaceful innocent Israeli citizens October 7. Terrorist leader Sinwar should be judged by the Crminal Court at the Hague, together with all his followers who committed the atrocious attack against Israel.
This would give the long -for sought possibility of a Peaceful Leadership for the Palestinians, and for Israelis and Palestinians to finally be able to live peacefully side by side as good neighbors.
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Prof. Ada Aharoni???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????IFLAC WORLD Founding President????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Lucretia Berzintu?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????January 10, 2024, Romania?????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????