In an article on the news site Elaph, Kurdish writer Kamil Salman accused Hamas of causing the bloodshed in Gaza to serve the interests of Iran, and stated that the abduction of the Israeli civilians, especially the women and children, was an act of terror that damages the Palestinian cause and cannot be condoned by the countries of the world. As for Israel, Salman wrote that it "has a presence, status, and recognition in the UN" and cannot be destroyed, and that even if it continues to kill Palestinians for 1,000 years it will not reach a tenth of the number of Muslim Arabs that have been murdered by Iran in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen and the Kurds it killed Kurdistan.
Kamil Salman (Image: Sotkurdistan.net)
The following are translated excerpts from his article:
"Those held by Hamas following the [October 7] military operation, about 240 in number, have been given different labels. Are they prisoners of war? Or kidnapped? Or hostages? Among those held are women, men and children, soldiers and unarmed civilians. Therefore, they cannot all be given the same label. The soldiers and fighters may be considered prisoners of war, [whereas] the unarmed citizens - men, women, children and elderly - are all abductees who have become hostages, because their release depends on conditions or demands.
"In terms of the detainees, the military operation carried out by Hamas on October 7 has two facets. Killing and capturing Israeli military personnel is considered legitimate in terms of the military code and is a military achievement on the ground. By contrast, the kidnapping of civilians, especially women, children and foreigners who happened to be in the area during the military operation, is considered an act of terrorism. This behavior towards civilians - murder and kidnapping - is a heavy and clearly damaging blow to the Palestinian cause, since terrorism has become a persistent concern of the free world, and even of the second and third worlds. That is why we have not heard from any country in the world support for Hamas' behavior, not even from Arab and Muslim countries, except Iran. This is not because the Arab and Muslim countries do not support the Palestinian cause or have given up on it. On the contrary: [now] they are even more supportive of the Palestinian people and feel solidarity with them.
"The hearts of the Arab and Muslim governments and nations bleed for the Palestinian people. But the governments are not reckless; they are rational, protect the interests of their countries, and behave in a politically civilized manner. They do not wish to be ostracized by the international community, especially not by the Western countries who represent the pinnacle of progress and freedom in the world. This is not a matter for raging emotions, [although] the emotions are raging over [the plight] of the innocent Gazan citizens, who paid the price for the criminal behavior of Hamas and the racism of the Netanyahu government.
"Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Gulf countries, and Morocco have behaved responsibly and have not let the situation spiral out of control. They understood the game early on, and they thoroughly understand the significance, the power and the influence of Israel, the U.S. and the Western countries over the entire region. That is why they are not prepared to weaken themselves and their people in a confrontation with the Western countries, which control the condition of the peoples from economic, scientific, technological and media standpoints.
"At the same time, the leaders of Israel's neighboring countries have 75 years of experience in the conflict with it. They know that the practical military struggle with Israel on the ground is over and gone forever. There have been no wars since the October 1973 war. Israel today has a presence, status, and recognition in the UN whether we like it or not. No one can destroy Israel unless the entire UN ceases to exist. Therefore, the Arab countries and the PLO turned to the path of peace, policy, diplomacy, and dialogue as the only way to achieve peace and rights, and build their states.
"The Western nations and the U.S. can subjugate [even] the largest country in the world without war, through an economic blockade alone. This truth must be acknowledged. Look at Iran's situation under the sanctions that America alone imposes on it. Do not listen to the propaganda, ask the average Iranian citizen. He is the one who will give you the straight answer. He will say to you: The American sanctions cause us Iranians to flock to Iraq under the pretext of visiting the pilgrimage sites, just to eat the food that the Iraqis give us for free. Ask the Iraqis, they [too] will confirm it. Are the Arab and Islamic countries so stupid and ignorant that they would cause their people such humiliation? From the perspective of morality, religion, culture, and logic, is it appropriate to align with a country [i.e., Iran] that purports to lead the resistance [against the enemies of Islam] yet at the same time is responsible for the death of millions from the Islamic nations?
"Even if Israel continues to kill Palestinians for another 1,000 years, it will not reach a tenth of the number of Arab Muslims, both Shiites and Sunnis, that have been murdered by Iran in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen, as well as Kurds in Kurdistan and Iraqi prisoners during the Iran-Iraq war.
"All the movements, organizations and parties that align with Iran, in all the Arab and Muslim countries, will share the fate of Gaza sooner or later. Just look at Gaza, at northern and central Syria, at large parts of Iraq and at Yemen, and at the millions of displaced people in [these areas]. And the future will be even worse, since the Iranian devil is still safe from punishment.
"Yes, Hamas has sacrificed Gaza to Iran. This is also what Hizbullah is doing with Lebanon, and what all the organizations and militias that Iran established in the Arab countries will do. They will do what is bad for their countries as a service to Iran, and the rivers of blood will not stop as long as Iran is in the arena.
"The Iranian people also do not deserve to live in the misery they are experiencing due to the blood-soaked policy of the Iranian government. I say this with great pain. Every time I try to force myself to be optimistic and hope that the Gaza war will end in a peaceful solution and the restoration of security to the region, I find myself at the height of naivete. This is because the side holding the match in this flammable area is the side filled with hatred and enmity for the peoples of the area, and it will not hesitate to set everything on fire. I wish I was wrong."
