Security Report: The Interlink between Iran and Hamas #Israel #Netanyahu #Kerry #Iran #Hamas #Gaza

Security Report: The Interlink between Iran and Hamas

    At root to a lasting Middle East process is the creation of a Palestinian State that formally recognizes a Jewish State of Israel, includes parts of East Jerusalem, and has connecting lands between the West Bank and Gaza. The largest obstacle to this end is Hamas and the continued influence of Hamas stems from its support by Iran and use by Iran's Jerusalem Force as a proxy to gain regional influence. The key to removing Hamas from a position of influence is ending Iran's support for Hamas, and effectively empowering the Palestinian Authority to be the more effective provider of basic necessities and unequivocal best hope for a better Palestinian future.

    For Iran to do this, and to prevent Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon, the regime has to have a sense that the regime in Iran will survive if it ends support for Hamas, seeks peace with Israel and abandons its nuclear aspirations. Iran needs to be convinced, that efforts to obtain a nuclear deterrent will lead to pre-emptive strikes from Israel, Nato or the US and our regional partners that will bring immense and devastating destruction to the Iranian populace, not as a target, but as a consequence of inevitable nuclear fallout caused by the bombing of nuclear facilities and reactors.

   As Israel combats Hamas, it must also move to empower the Palestinian Authority with cooperative measures between Israeli charities and the Palestinian authorities to undermine deep seated racism and hatred, that acknowledge the factual realities of the situation, the legitimate grievances of both sides, while pushing us forward from impossible positions to negotiate or calls for destruction of either side, by the other side. If The United States of America, Great Britain, NATO, Russia, the Arab League and the UN can be brought to the same position, that we will recognize the Iranian regimes right to exist and end our policy of regime change and support for groups working towards such, if Iran halts all support for Hamas and other entities (ie., Hezbollah) as they seek to inflict wanton destruction on Israeli civilians and until they adjust their goal to the peaceful coexistence of Jews, Muslims, Christians and others embodied in International law and the treaty of Medina. Iran must also limit its nuclear programs to such minimal levels that Iran is both well below break-out capacity and its peaceful nuclear program is easily accessible and monitored to unequivocally be for purposes of energy and medicine, with no chance of it being used for weapons, even if the procurement of such a weapon is for the purpose of defensive deterrence or peace. Iran must place its support with the Palestinian Authority and pressure it to pursue a peaceful two-state solution with land swaps for areas possessing settlements. Netanyahu had mentioned, support for providing parts of East Jerusalem to the Palestinian state in exchange for a stronger line against Iran. There is opportunities for broad, permanent and lasting terms of peace in the middle east, that the formal parties of representation can be brought to, and while there may be intermediary, terrorist groups and political opportunists undermining those terms, the terms can be laid out and formalized as a treaty with formal tools of oversight to monitor enforcement of terms.

    Iran has to choose whether they want peace, or war, and they need to avoid the mistakes of Japan in Pearl Harbor that lead to the tragedy of Hiroshima. Let us not see a flawed world view on the part of Iran, or underestimation of what Barack Obama and the US is willing to do to defend Israel, or support for attacks on Southern Israel lead to a mushroom cloud over Tehran, or even the lesser danger, missile strikes on nuclear reactors setting back the nuclear program and spewing radiation over the Iranian populace as a result. From what the UN inspectors have shown, it is clear that Iran has sought a peaceful nuclear program as cover for a nuclear weapons program, to procure a nuclear deterrent to strengthen their position in negotiations with Israel and to embolden their hands to menace the governments at peace with Israel across the Arab world. This cannot, and will not be tolerated, and more time is not what is needed, more action is needed.

    What is clear, is that while Iran may not have much history of direct military aggression, it has a clear and established history of materially supporting terrorist organizations, including al-Qaeda in Iraq against US troops and Iraqi Civilians, Hamas in Gaza against Israeli Civilians, Hezbollah against the Lebanese civilians and government officials, Hezbollah against rebel groups in Syria and a combination of government and civilian targets of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the Emirates.

    Israel is willing to consider ending the blockade around Gaza, even willing to consider negotiating a time table to hand over east Jerusalem, but it will not negotiate with the terrorist organization Hamas, reward terrorist tactics, consider lifting the blockade to allow Iran to rearm Hamas, or allow for Iran to procure nuclear weapons. The US, Great Britain, Nato and the Arab League should not allow such either. The actions of Iran and Hamas dangerously risk the security of not only the region, but the entire world. United, we can negotiate a change of position and action on the part of Iran, that can minimize the influence of Hamas, empower more legitimate partners and stabilize the regions with a more comfortable balance of influence between the Sunni/Shi'ite spheres, with all at peace with Israel, each other and a clear path to Palestinian Statehood.