Foreign secretary’s call comes after group releases video of British-Israeli hostage it says died after being wounded in Israeli airstrike

Foreign secretary’s call comes after group releases video of British-Israeli hostage it says died after being wounded in Israeli airstrike

David Cameron has urged the BBC to describe Hamas as a terrorist organisation, reviving an accusation that the corporation shies away from a valid description of the Islamist group that is holding Israeli hostages.

The UK foreign secretary told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that the organisation should reconsider its guidelines in light of a video released by Hamas showing the British-Israeli hostage Nadav Popplewell, who the group said had died in Gaza.

Hamas released a statement on Saturday saying the 51-year-old had died after being wounded in an Israeli airstrike a month ago. The video showed him with a black eye.

  • bhmnscmm@lemmy.worldEnglish
    310·
    8 months ago

    My definition of terrorist tactics is irrelevant to how the OP would classify Hamas.

    Regardless, here’s how terrorism is defined on Wikipedia: it seems pretty reasonable to me.

    Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war against non-combatants

      • bhmnscmm@lemmy.worldEnglish
        69·
        8 months ago

        The fact that you’re trying move this conversation towards the actions of Israel while avoiding the actions of Hamas leads me to believe you’re not interested in having a genuine discussion. I think you’re trying to play gotcha.

        Have Israel and Hamas used terrorist tactics? I think so. Do both sides not care about the well-being of civilians? I think so. Are both sides of this conflict bad? I think so.

        • davepleasebehave@lemmy.worldEnglish
          82·
          8 months ago

          so is there any real reason to worry about wether Hamas is a terror organisation?

          Was the ANC a terror organisation?

          Was the IRA a terror organisation?

          Was the American revolution a terror organisation?

          perhaps the label has no meaning.

          Let’s condemn killings if civilians. let’s also be realistic about the situation. the people of Gaza have no choice about who is occupying them.

        • SulaymanF@lemmy.worldEnglish
          52·
          8 months ago

          Yes both sides commit terrorism. And one side gets billions of dollars in government aid and weapons despite murderifn journalists and openly causing famine.

          I’m so tired of this political game. Abbas condemned terrorism and Israel refused to work with him for decades because the existence of terrorism gave them license to steal more land. He went to the UN to ask for statehood and Israeli leaders threatened to press charges of war crimes against him. His response was “we’ll share a cell at The Hague.”