NEW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF THAILAND

The Brick in The Peace Wall

Can We Live Together in Peace
Mayuko KANNO 1/13/2012

Word Count: 1204 (Not including in text, work cited and appendix)

The Brick in The Peace Wall

Can We Live Together in Peace Mayuko KANNO

Introduction
Ismail Haniyeh is a politic leader of Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni Islamic party in the Gaza Strip, located at the East-coast side of the Mediterranean Sea(see map in Appendix). He was the first politician from Hamas to win the Palestinian legislative election on January 2006, allowing Hamas to govern the Gaza proportion of Palestinian Territory.

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Can We Live Together in Peace Mayuko KANNO Causes and Action Action Ismail Haniyeh was born in a refugee camp and this led him to go into politics as his career. During the time he graduated from Islamic University of Gaza, a masses uprising, known as Intifada occurred in Gaza, protesting the Israeli occupation. Haniyeh participated in this first Intifada and joined the Hamas party. Therefore, he strongly supports Islamic Fundamentalism and respects Hamas spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Later, Haniyeh and 400 others who were active in supporting the Intifada were sent to Lebanon by the Israel. Soon after the Intifada, during the time they were sent to Lebanon, the corruption in Fatah was found. It appeared to give a huge damage to the Palestinians Authority Party (Fatah). Residents were tired of Fatah as they did not help their people for a better life. Many opinions wanted to rely on Hamas, the armed party as many of them were once refugees, suffering from hunger and poverty(1). After they were released, Haniyeh was assigned as Dean of the Islamic University and began to speak up for Palestinians rights. He mainly worked for his leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin until he was killed by the Israel which then, Haniyeh became president of the Gaza strip. The Corruption of Fatah allowed Hamas to win the legislative election on 2006. Although they had bad reactions from other countries, the election was said to be fair within the people. A year after the election, Hamas gave the Israel one year extension of truce between the two countries, however, would refuse to obey the agreements between the former Palestinian government and Israel(2). Hamas aim is to establish Palestinians state. Therefore, they were not to seek for peace within Israel unless the Israel recognizes with Palestinians rights(3). Soon, the Battle of Gaza occurred lead by Ismail Haniyeh, resulting as Hamas victory. Few years later on 2011 when Osama Bin Ladin was killed, Ismail Haniyeh commented on his death. He sated him as a holy warrior(4)r and depreciated the killing that had occurred. After Hamas winning the election in 2006, the relationship between Palestine and Israel has not been improving since. Hamas is still governs the Gaza Strip today and does not agrees to any agreements with the Israel. Although Hamas has been attacking lands of Israel without notifications and has not been exactly creating peace within the two countries, 84% of the people supports(9) for many of the bombing attack that had occurred. This shows not only the government but how the residents feel about their enemy. Hamas Hamas is an Islamic Fundamental socio-political organization, founded in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Its origin comes from the Egypt Muslim Brotherhood, a religious political organization found in Egypt which is connected with the Arabs. Their political activity mainly relied on nonviolence although Hamas was not influenced with that part of the ethos. Yassin himself was working for the Egypt Muslim Brotherhood before he founded Hamas, which then Ismail Haniyeh later worked for. In the late 1960s, Yassin worked in the West Bank of the Gaza Strip and did charitable work for those in need. Later, after the 1967 Six Day War, he established the Islamic Center in the Gaza Strip to accommodate the Muslim Brotherhoods political activities. Then, in December 1987, the year

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Can We Live Together in Peace Mayuko KANNO Haniyeh graduated from university, Yassin founded Hamas as the Muslim Brotherhoods local political arm, however slowly moving away from the idea of nonviolence.

Islamic Fundamentalist Ismail Haniyeh believes in the Islamic Fundamentalism, which Hamas belongs to. This fundamentalism strongly believes in Islamic Religious theories although they have not been proven in being contradict reality(8). It has many similarities between the International Communisms, especially Trotskyism(5) The world in Islamic Fundamentalism is separated in two parts, the house of Islam and the house of the enemies(6). Their final goal is to make the world Islamic and to support the Islam from their enemies which are considered as countries such as the United Stated and Japan(7)

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Can We Live Together in Peace Mayuko KANNO Source Analysis Interview with Ismail Haniyeh by Washington Post This interview was taken by calling Ismail Haniyeh who was in his home in the refugee camp. It was after few months after Hamas won the election and he became the president of Gaza which makes the main purpose as to let them know the issues in Gaza and to get an idea of who Haniyeh may be. The target audience would be Americans or any other English speakers from foreign countries as it was written in English from Washington post. It shows exact word being said by Haniyeh which makes it valuable for us or the historians to examine the details that has been said on the Hamas side point of view. This is a valuable source in knowing the details about Ismail Haniyeh himself. The main limitation would be how the interview is prejudiced to one side of perspective. As Haniyeh is the leader of Hamas and presently governs the Gaza Strip, hes answers are biased in which shows strong support to the Hamas and disapproves the Israel. This interview was answered only by Haniyehs opinion although he may have said some statement throughout. Therefore, there is a lack of different opinions for the subject. An article posted on Foxnews.com This article was written two years after the election in 2006 when Hamas first became the main party in Gaza. The article is again, aimed for people outside of Israel or Palestine to know about the issues they are facing. The content in the article suggests Hamas as a terrorist organization. It is valuable as it shows different attacks and protests that has occurred in which changed the views upon the Hamas. The article was written as third person who had many statements from both Israel and Palestine. The limitation is that the format of the writing makes it believable that Hamas is a terrorist group which will be influenced to the readers. It talks about the opinions some country such as United States and England has, and concentrates on the terrorist side of the party. By comparing the two sources, I feel the interview would be more useful to the historian. It will help in knowing the person and they would be able to use their basic knowledge when reading the source. They can then expand the knowledge and it would be more relevant in knowing the inside of what has been happening during the time.

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Can We Live Together in Peace Mayuko KANNO Conclusion In conclusion, Ismail Haniyeh should not be nominated for the Noble Peace Award. Although he has done some charitable work for refugees living in the Gaza strip and is still strongly supported amongst them, his comments and beliefs do not show any sort of commitment to peace. The Noble Peace Prize is awarded for people who have done work to gain peace without destroying what was there before; therefore it would not be applicable for him to become awarded.

Absolutely Deserving

Not Deserving

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Can We Live Together in Peace Mayuko KANNO Appendix Work Cited (1)"Fatah Struggles with Tainted Image | World News | The Guardian." Latest News, Sport and Comment from the Guardian | The Guardian. 24 Jan. 2006. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/jan/24/israel>. (2)Mekay, Emad. "Donors Threaten Aid Cut After Hamas Win - by Emad Mekay."Antiwar.com. 26 Jan. 2006. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. <http://www.antiwar.com/ips/mekay.php?articleid=8460>. (3)"BBC NEWS | Middle East | Profile: Hamas PM Ismail Haniya." BBC News - Home. 14 Dec. 2006. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4655146.stm>. (4)"Hamas Praises Osama Bin Laden as Holy Warrior | World News | Guardian.co.uk." Latest News, Sport and Comment from the Guardian | The Guardian. 2 May 2011. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/hamas-osama-bin-laden>. (8)"What Is Islamic Fundamentalism?" Mustaqim Islamic Art & Literature. 2000. Web. 05 Jan. 2012. <http://www.mustaqim.co.uk/fundamentalism.htm>.
(5)(6) "." Massive Bleeding Massacre. Web. 05 Jan. 2012.

<http://adolf45d.client.jp/thinkisuram.htm>.
(7)"Israel At 'War to the Bitter End,' Strikes Key Hamas Sites | Fox News." Fox News - Breaking News

Updates. 29 Dec. 2008. Web. 06 Jan. 2012. <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,473448,00.html>. Al-Helou, Yousef. "If HAMAS Is a Terrorist Organization, What Does That Make Israel?" Intifada Palestine. 11 July 2010. Web. 06 Jan. 2012. <http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2010/07/if-hamasis-a-terrorist-organization-what-does-that-make-israel/>. (9)"Survey Research Unit." Psr-Ramallah, Palestine. 24 Mar. 2008. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. <http://www.pcpsr.org/survey/polls/2008/p27e1.html>. "BBC News - Profile: Gaza Strip." BBC News - Home. 6 Jan. 2009. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5122404.stm>. (img1)"Why Would Israel Bomb a University?" The Electronic Intifada. 28 Dec. 2008. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. <http://electronicintifada.net/content/why-would-israel-bomb-university/7887>. (img2)Fearandwar. "Occupy All Streets, Fearandwar: The First Palestinian Intifada..." Occupy All Streets. Dec. 2011. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. <http://occupyallstreets.tumblr.com/post/14034321172/fearandwar-the-first-palestinian-intifada>. (img3)Irazabal, Ane. "Haniyeh Is Confident That Hamas Will Win in the Next Elections - International Middle East Media Center." IMEMC News - International Middle East Media Center. 15 Dec. 2011. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. <http://www.imemc.org/article/60176>.

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Can We Live Together in Peace Mayuko KANNO

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Can We Live Together in Peace Mayuko KANNO (map)

(Interview with Ismail Haniyeh by Washington Post)

A Conversation with Ismail Haniyeh 'We Do Not Wish to Throw Them Into the Sea' Sunday, February 26, 2006
Since Hamas won control of parliament in the recent Palestinian elections, policymakers in Washington and Jerusalem have been faced with a dilemma: how to deal with a democratically elected government that is also on the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations. Last week, Newsweek-Washington Post's Lally Weymouth interviewed Hamas's new prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, by phone in his home in the refugee camp where he lives with his wife and 12 children in Gaza. Were you surprised by the size of the Hamas victory? Hamas entered the elections planning to be victorious. Was the victory due to corruption in Fatah, the social services you provided or the general agreement of most Palestinians with the Hamas program of armed resistance? The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this is the reason why the Palestinian people chose Hamas. However, there is no doubt that the corruption helped Hamas's victory. What percent of the people voted for Hamas because of your call for armed resistance? Resistance is one of the reasons for Hamas's victory, but Hamas works [also] in the political, educational and charitable fields. All these activities helped it win.

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Palestinian President Abu Mazen and the international community have put forward conditions for dealing with Hamas: 1) recognize Israel; 2) recognize existing agreements with Israel made by thePalestinian Liberation Organization; 3) renounce violence. Will you agree to these conditions? We are surprised that such conditions are imposed on us. Why don't they direct such conditions and questions to Israel? Has Israel respected agreements? Israel has bypassed practically all agreements. We say: Let Israel recognize the legitimate rights of the Palestinians first and then we will have a position regarding this. Which Israel should we recognize? The Israel of 1917; the Israel of 1936; the Israel of 1948; the Israel of 1956; or the Israel of 1967? Which borders and which Israel? Israel has to recognize first the Palestinian state and its borders and then we will know what we are talking about. Israel has agreed to a two-state solution, signed agreements with the PLO and withdrawn from Gaza. So will Hamas accept any of the agreements that the PLO -- starting with [Yasser] Arafat and continuing with Abu Mazen -- made with Israel? Number one, the withdrawal from Gaza was based on a unilateral decision and a unilateral plan. It was not [done] out of the generosity of Israel. Has Israel committed itself to all these agreements? We are not war seekers nor are we war initiators. We are not lovers of blood. We are not interested in a vicious cycle of violence. We are oppressed people with rights. If peace brings us our rights, then this is good. Do you accept the Oslo agreement signed by Yasser Arafat? Israel has stopped completely committing itself to Oslo. I am not asking about Israel. Are you, as the new Palestinian prime minister, committed to Oslo? How do you want me not to pay attention or care about what Israel says? Oslo stated that a Palestinian state would be established by 1999. Where is this Palestinian state? Has Oslo given the right to Israel to reoccupy the West Bank, to build the wall and expand the settlements, and to Judaize Jerusalem and make it totally Jewish? Has Israel been given the right to disrupt the work on the port and airport in Gaza? Has Oslo given them the right to besiege Gaza and to stop all tax refunds from the Palestinian Authority? So you will not abide by past agreements made by the Palestinians and Israel? I have not said that. I have said that Israel . . .

But you are not the prime minister of Israel. Will you abide by past agreements made by the Palestinian governments and Israel? We will review all agreements and abide by those that are in the interest of the Palestinian people. What agreements will you honor? The ones that will guarantee the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital with 1967 borders -- as well as agreements that would release prisoners. Would Hamas recognize Israel if it were to withdraw to the '67 borders? If Israel withdraws to the '67 borders, then we will establish a peace in stages. What does that mean? Number one: We will establish a situation of stability and calm which will bring safety for our people -- what Sheikh [Ahmed] Yassin [a Hamas founder] called a long-term hudna . Does a peace in stages means the ultimate obliteration of the Jewish people?

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We do not have any feelings of animosity toward Jews. We do not wish to throw them into the sea. All we seek is to be given our land back, not to harm anybody. Do you recognize Israel's right to exist? The answer is to let Israel say it will recognize a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, release the prisoners and recognize the rights of the refugees to return to Israel. Hamas will have a position if this occurs. So will you extend the present ceasefire? I will not say yes or no. The problem is with Israel. If Israel gives us a quiet period and stops its incursions and the assassinations, then we will be able to convince our people to continue with a state of quiet. How is Hamas going to run its government with the United States cutting back funds and the Palestinian government having a deficit of $700 million? Will Iran make up the difference? We have an economic plan for self-sufficiency based on rationing and protection of public money. Number two: Our relationship with the Islamic and Arab world has shown indications that these people will support us. Number three: The liberals and free people of the world will not like to see the Palestinian people living under siege. We have received indications from the international community that they will not stop their aid. I ask the American administration not to participate in any resolution that will double the suffering of the Palestinian people. I am convinced that the American people would not want to see the Palestinians suffer the way they do. You must offer Americans some kind of assurance that you agree with President Bush's two-state solution, that you oppose violence and suicide bombings, that you favor peace. Can you? All the Palestinian people would like to stop the bloodshed and take the civilians away from this vicious cycle of violence. The problem is not with us but with the Israelis. Will you recognize Israel? If Israel declares that it will give the Palestinian people a state and give them back all their rights, then we are ready to recognize them. Israel does not have a charter calling for the destruction of the Palestinian state. Our only position will be declared once Israel recognizes our right to exist. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon accepted a two-state solution as did President Bush. What do you say about the two-state solution?

It all starts with Israel.

(An article posted on Foxnews.com) Israel At 'War to the Bitter End,' Strikes Key Hamas Sites Published December 29, 2008 FOXNews Israel's defense minister said Monday the country is engaged in a "war to the bitter end" against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and said the military operation against the terror group would continue and intensify. "We have stretched our hand in peace many times to the Palestinian people. We have nothing against the people of Gaza," Ehud Barak said to a special session of parliament. "But this is an all-out war against Hamas and its branches. The restraint that we have demonstrated is the source of our strength when it is time to fight."

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Israel's air force obliterated symbols of Hamas power on the third day of its overwhelming Gaza assault, striking a house next to the Hamas premier's home, devastating a security compound and flattening a five-story building at a university closely linked to the Islamic terror group. In a retaliatory strike, Palestinian militants sent a deadly barrage of missiles deep into Israel, demonstrating that Hamas still had firepower three days into Israel's punishing air offensive in Gaza. Three Israelis were killed and two seriously wounded. In a barrage Monday night, a missile crashed into a bus stop in Ashdod, 23 miles from the Gaza Strip. A woman died and two others were wounded, one seriously the first casualty in the city of 190,000 residents. Another Israeli was killed and one seriously wounded by a rocket strike in the Negev desert community of Nahal Oz, closer to the Gaza border. Earlier, a missile killed a construction worker in the city of Ashkelon. In all, four Israelis were dead since the Gaza offensive began Saturday, bringing to 19 the number of people killed in attacks from Gaza since the beginning of the year. Hamas missiles hit near Ashdod on Sunday, but Monday's attack marked the first time the city suffered casualties from missiles. Ashdod is 23 miles from Gaza, twice as far as the frequent target of Ashkelon and only 25 miles from Israel's heart in Tel Aviv. Israel declared areas around the Gaza Strip a "closed military zone" Monday, citing the risk from Palestinian rocket fire. The closure could also help Israel mount a ground assault, as Israeli troops continue to amass at staging sites on the Gaza border and the Cabinet approved the call-up of 6,500 reserve soldiers. Military experts said Israel would need at least 10,000 soldiers for a full-scale invasion. Click to view photos from the conflict (WARNING: Graphic) A Hamas police spokesman, Ehab Ghussein, said 180 members of the Hamas security forces were among the dead. The United Nations agency in charge of Palestinian refugees said at least 62 of the dead were civilians. The three-day death toll rose to 364, including eight children under the age of 17 who were killed in two separate strikes overnight, medics said. The U.N. said the total included at least 62 civilians. Israel launched its deadliest attack against Palestinians in decades on Saturday in retaliation for rocket fire aimed at civilians in southern Israeli towns, which have killed 17 Israelis this year. Israel is trying to avoid civilian casualties, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told reporters Monday, while "Hamas is looking for children to kill." "Hamas is targeting deliberately kindergartens and schools and citizens and civilians because this is according to their values. Our values are completely different. We are trying to target Hamas, which hides among civilians," Livni said. A senior Hamas official in Damascus said there is no chance of a new truce with Israel unless all attacks on Gaza cease and the border crossings are reopened. Moussa Abu Marzouk said Hamas has a right to strike everywhere in Israel and called for Arab countries who have peace treaties with Israel namely Egypt and Jordan to sever those ties over the deadly strikes on Gaza. Hamas, whose charter specifically calls for the destruction of the state of Israel, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdon and the European Union and is banned in Jordan. From 2000 to 2004, Hamas was responsible for killing nearly 400 Israelis and wounding more than 2,000 in 425 attacks, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2001 through May 2008, Hamas launched more than 3,000 Qassam rockets and 2,500 mortar attacks against Israeli targets. Israeli military sources estimated Monday that Hamas' military wing was still intact and that it was capable of carrying out substantial operations in the near future, YnetNews reported. Three days of strikes have damaged Hamas' ability to launch rockets, but the group still managed to fire dozens Monday deep into southern Israel. One medium-range rocket fired at the Israeli city of Ashkelon killed a man and wounded several others. It was the second fatality in Israel since the beginning of the offensive, and the first person ever to be killed by a rocket in Ashkelon, a city of 120,000. The White House said Hamas was showing its "true colors as a terrorist organization" and called for it to cease its rocket attacks. "In order for the violence to stop, Hamas must stop firing rockets into Israel and agree to respect a sustainable and durable ceasefire," said National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe. At first light Monday, strong winds blew black smoke from the bombed sites in Gaza City over deserted streets. The air hummed with the buzz of pilotless drones and the roar of jets, punctuated by the explosions of new airstrikes. One strike on Monday destroyed the home of the top commander in Hamas's armed wing, killing seven people, including several members of his immediate family. At least 20 people were injured in the blast, though the target, Hamas chief rocket senior Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades commander, Maher Zaqout, was not at home at the time, Hamas said. The Israel Defense Forces said Monday that the battle in Gaza was only beginning, and that "the worst is not behind us it is still ahead of us" during a briefing to southern communities. "After this operation there will not be one Hamas building left standing in Gaza," said IDF Deputy Chief of Staff BrigadierGeneral Dan Harel, according to YnetNews. Israel carried out five separate strikes on the houses of field operatives, though there has been no confirmation that any of them were killed. In another air assault, an Islamic Jihad commander was killed as he was walking near his house. A group of Iranian hardline clerics volunteered to fight in the Gaza Strip in response to Israel's air strikes, the Fars news agency reported on Monday. "From Monday the Combatant Clergy Society has activated its Web site for a week to register volunteers to fight against the Zionist regime (Israel) in either the military, financial or propaganda fields," the semi-official news agency said.

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Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a religious decree to Muslims around the world on Sunday, ordering them to defend Palestinians in Gaza against Israeli attacks "in any way possible." One strike destroyed a five-story building in the women's wing at Islamic University, one of the most prominent Hamas symbols. Another attack ravaged a compound controlled by Preventive Security, one of the group's chief security arms, and a third destroyed a house next to the residence of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister. Like other Hamas leaders, Haniyeh is in hiding. Late Sunday, Israeli aircraft attacked a building in the Jebaliya refugee camp next to Gaza City, killing a woman, a toddler and three young teenage girls, Gaza Health Ministry official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain said. In the southern town of Rafah, a toddler and his two teenage brothers were killed in an airstrike aimed at a Hamas commander, Hassanain said. In Gaza City, another attack killed a man and his wife. Gaza's nine hospitals were overwhelmed. Hassanain, who keeps a record for the Gaza Health Ministry, said over 1,400 were wounded over two days of fighting, and that casualties were now being taken to private clinics and even homes. Abdel Hafez, a 55-year-old history teacher, waited outside a Gaza City bakery to buy bread, one of the few people visible outdoors. He said he was not a Hamas supporter, but believed the strikes would only increase support for the group. "Each strike, each drop of blood are giving Hamas more fuel to continue," he said. Israeli leaders have said the operation might be long. "The goal of our current operation is to ... create a situation where Israeli civilians living in the south of the country no longer have to live in constant fear of a Hamas rocket attack," government spokesman Mark Regev said Monday. Since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 after a 38-year military occupation, Israeli forces have repeatedly returned to the territory to hunt militants firing rockets at Israeli towns. But it has shied away from retaking the entire strip for fear of getting bogged down in urban warfare. The assault has sparked diplomatic fallout. Syria decided to suspend indirect peace talks with Israel, begun earlier this year. The U.N. Security Council called on both sides to halt the fighting and asked Israel to allow humanitarian supplies into Gaza. The prime minister of Turkey, one of the few Muslim countries to have relations with Israel, called the air assault a "crime against humanity," and French President Nicolas Sarkozy condemned "the provocations that led to this situation as well as the disproportionate use of force." The carnage inflamed Arab and Muslim public opinion, setting off street protests in Arab communities in Israel and the West Bank, across the Arab world, and in some European cities. Some of the protests turned violent. Israeli troops quelling a West Bank march Sunday killed one Palestinian and seriously wounded another. On Monday, a Palestinian stabbed and wounded four Israelis in a West Bank settlement before he was shot and wounded. It was not immediately clear if the attack was directly connected to the events in Gaza. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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