Speaking of Hamas’s October 7 attack, Griffiths said he had “total understanding” of the “trauma" it had caused Israel but that Israel would need to build a relationship with its neighbors regardless.

UN Relief Chief Martin Griffiths told a representative from Sky News on Wednesday that he did not consider Hamas to be a terrorist group.

Asked about the feasibility of Israel’s military goal to eliminate Hamas and disallow the terrorist group from having any governing say in Gaza, Griffiths responded “Hamas is not a terrorist group for us, as you know, it is a political movement. But, I think it is very very difficult to dislodge these groups without a negotiated solution; which includes their aspirations.

“I cannot think of an example offhand of a place where a victory through warfare has succeeded against a well-entrenched group, terrorist or otherwise.”

  • Icalasari@kbin.social
    91·
    8 months ago

    A resistance group can still be terrorists. Terrorists are just people who commit acts of terrorism to accomplish a goal. Sometimes a group may commit them purely as a bargaining chip - “Stop attacking us and our people, or we’ll commit more terroristic acts in response”

    It’s just embedded in public preception that terrorists won’t ever stop doing it until they are stopped due to terrorists being an easy group to make villains in media as terroristic actions are horrific by design

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
      615·
      8 months ago

      Partially but there are two legal problems,

      • Israel is an Occupier and has no protection under International Law so cannot be protected by laws on terrorism.

      • UNGA Resolution 37/43 affirmed the legitimacy of the struggle for independence, territorial integrity, national unity, and liberation from foreign domination and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle. This resolution openly recognized the right of occupied people to use force against foreign illegal occupation.

      • jj4211@lemmy.world
        76·
        8 months ago

        The most recent spark was an attack directed at civilians on what not be considered occupied territory. Armed struggle may be understandable, but this context is out of line.

        It’s really rough because they have done something which must be condemned, but after many years of nothing working to improve their lot in other ways. Then Israel retaliated in a way that must almost be condemned.

        ESH and it is just so depressing…