I'm actually vehemently against the Israeli govt. and Hamas both. I hate that Israel has an apartheid system currently in place, has legislated prejudiced laws that treats one group of people differently because of their ethnicity. The fact that the Israeli military has used Palestinian teens as human shields were awful. etc. I hate that Israel's military issued ordinances to destroy any Palestinian business that can compete with an Israeli business which prevents Palestinians in the territories from ever really having a sustainable economy. I hate Hamas because they engage and condone terrorism, They take advantage of impoverished uneducated Palestinians and provide them with schools that can forever prejudiced the minds of innocent youth who go there. I hate that their own hatred poisons there people. It's rotten.
Hamas is enormously popular with their people, however. This was most evident in their elections when Hamas soundly defeated Fatah. What we call terrorism, they consider fighting for freedom because in their view they are fighting for the restoration of their lands. They call what Israel does "state-sponsored terrorism." Personally, I hope that a 2 state solution can be established quickly and in accordance with what President Obama has previously stated in his speech on the Middle East. So that both sides can have a fighting chance of living in peace, and that any bad behavior by either side can be swiftly dealt with by the world community.
Do you think some 3rd party may consider it a terrorist attack when a people establish themselves in a land entirely by military force, using the Holocaust as a pretext when it was the Germans that annihilated the Jews?
And a lot of this is the religious factor. Zionists, especially the fundamentalists, believe they are "God's Chosen People". They do not believe that man's laws apply to them. They are an exceptionalist nation established by God, and they do not believe they need to abide by any agreements. Hence, pre-emptive strikes, dropping phosphorus munitions, violating human right accords, etc. This is just one of the reasons that religion can be a very dangerous thing.
You do realize there are Zionists who believe that the current treatment of Palestinians is wrong. Your blanket statement is not only wrong, it's also dangerous rhetoric. The problem is, and always will be, people in power. It doesn't matter if it's a religious state or not. Those in power abuse the weak and seek to spread propaganda to promote their cause. This happens in nations where religion is barred.
I think religion is the excuse they use. The bottom line is they want the land, and that goes for both sides.
Hamas is popular for a number of reasons. One that the PA and Fatah were incredibly corrupt. Another is the community works and schools provided for the poor and under privileged amongst their people. I understand full well they believe they are fighting for freedom. The bottom line is that it's terrorism targeting civilians. When Native American Indian tribes were being killed off, and shipped to reservations some of them fought back, and killed or kidnapped women and children. That doesn't make that okay, and it didn't help them win their cause. There is a parallel here, because Palestinians are being pushed off their land by technically superior military. That military sometimes kills women and children, and sometimes the conflicts are spurred on by radical settlers. Either way killing women and children isn't effective or valid. It doesn't matter what one side calls it.
When a group of people has their means of support taken, their homes torn down and have no legal protections, human nature is to fight back using any means available. Northern Ireland is another example. The actions of the oppressed group should not come as a surprise. You either know and understand this already, or need to educate yourself on the history of the region.
