Palestine Does Not Equal Hamas

The incursion into Israeli-held and administered territory by forces from Gaza continues, as many look on with growing concern the conflict may escalate, drawing in other countries across the wider Middle East and becoming yet more bloody. For those Robin Day memorably and correctly called Here Today And Gone Tomorrow Politicians, however, here was an opportunity.

Wanting peace: Jeremy Corbyn

Gaza is administered, if not controlled, by Hamas, which in the UK is a proscribed organisation, and a terrorist one. So some less than totally good faith actors have decided that expressing support for the Palestinian cause is the same as supporting Hamas. There was, though, as Captain Blackadder might have observed, only one thing wrong with this - it was bollocks.

Displaying, or even holding and waving, the Palestinian flag, is not the same thing as supporting Hamas. Nor is calling for de-escalation, and a ceasefire, the same thing as supporting Hamas. But politicians out there on the right know no limits to their desperation, with the Tories unable to even get the smallest conference poll bounce, remaining 20 points adrift of Labour.

So when former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told “The unfolding events in Israel and Palestine are deeply alarming. We need an immediate ceasefire and urgent de-escalation. And we need a route out of this tragic cycle of violence: ending the occupation is the only means of achieving a just and lasting peace”, there was a bad faith actor waiting for him.

Tory MP Tom Tugendhat was ready with the smearing iron. “Your ‘friends’ Hamas are murdering children and taking civilian hostages. Haven’t you said enough?” Quote marks doing some seriously heavy lifting there in a potential effort to score a Sun or Mail column, or even secure the odd directorship once he leaves the Commons. But no constructive comment, mind.

Wanting to score cheap political points: Tom Tugendhat ...

Tugendhat would probably not be so keen on guilt by association if it were applied to him. As Michael Crick noted, “Security minister Tom Tugendhat tells me he would welcome Nigel Farage into the Conservative Party if he applied to join”. Someone who stands shoulder to shoulder with Combover Crybaby Donald Trump. Who wants his opponents summarily executed.

Still, there was former Murdoch editor Andrew Neil in the same corner, sneering at Jezza, just to make sure his press pals don’t forget him out there in France. “Obviously the indiscriminate launching of 2,000+ missiles to slaughter civilians indiscriminately is not a matter for condemnation in your world. But could you not have a word with your ‘friends at Hamas’ to stop it?”

Yeah, condemn what I decide requires condemnation, or you’re a “friend” of TRRSTS. Brillo, like Tugendhat using quote marks, shows himself to be of less than perfect courage. As was sneering nonentity Brendan Clarke Smith, another who’ll be out come the next election. “People actually campaigned for this man to be made our Prime Minister. Let that sink in for a moment”.

... and the auto-sneering Brendan Clarke Smith

Why is so much effort being expended to do little more than urge people to “look over there”? Ah well. We need look no further than another Tory nobody, this time Mark Harper, teed up by another bad faith actor, Camilla Tominey of the increasingly desperate and downmarket Telegraph, who has a Sunday show on Gammon Broadcasting™ News (“Bacon’s News Channel”).

“I wondered what your reaction was to those celebrating this terror attack by Hamas on the streets of London. Should they be investigated by the Police for hate crimes?” At last, a question not about Tory ineptitude and lying! “The British Government stands unequivocally with Israel … Hamas is of course a proscribed terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom, so anybody expressing support for it is committing an offence”.

So now you know why Jezza got all that stick: wanting to move in the general direction of peace is an excuse for more of those bad faith actors to suggest this is support for a proscribed organisation, and should therefore result in an immediate arrest. Even if they just wave the Palestinian flag.

Palestine still does not equal Hamas. Lasting peace is the only way out.

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