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.

  • @Ultraviolet@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    It’s just an inconvenient one. It makes it a lot harder to jerk about how “complex” the situation is when there’s such an obvious villain. Everything Hamas has done, Netanyahu is an accomplice to.

    • @assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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      151 year ago

      The only complexity here is for people who can’t fathom the concept of two bad guys. The only good people here are the civilians being happily sacrificed for Hamas and Netanyahu. Their leaders sip cocktails in luxury and don’t care about how many die.

      • Flax
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        31 year ago

        Exactly. It’s heartbreaking. You don’t need to wave a flag to be upset. It’s just innocent people dying constantly.