LOS ANGELES.–Iran’s mullah regime, led by 84-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have executed 419 prisoners detained largely for protesting against the regime in the wake of the beating death by the Basij militia of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini Sept. 22, 2022. Protests swelled across Iran largely due to discontent with Khamenei’s repressive crackdown. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Basij militia arrested more that 22,000 across Iran, demonstrating the regime’s willingness to take extreme measures to quell pro-democracy protests. How ironic that 74-year-old U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expresses concern over Iran’s human rights abuses while supporting Hamas, a wholly own subsidiary of Iran’s brutal mullah regime. What’s Guterres thinking when he calls for an immediate ceasefire of Israel’s war with Hamas after the Oct. 7 slaughter of Israeli civilians?
Guterres panders to the Arab League and other Islamic groups that view Israel as a rogue state occupying Palestinian lands since its 1948 independence and 1949 U.N. statehood. How can Guterres criticize Iran’s brutal crackdown on legitimate protesters while he backs the Hamas regime recently engaged in genocide and hostage-taking, currently holding some 240 in Gaza’s labyrinth of tunnels in northern Gaza? Guterres wants an immediate ceasefire accepting the fake Hamas Ministry of Health stats about civilian casualties. Hamas keeps pumping out the propaganda about Israeli war casualties, showing no proof of claims. Israeli Defense Forces [IDF] take the utmost care in bombing areas believe harboring Hamas terrorists, despite the fact they’re in civilian areas like hospitals, schools, U.N. relief agencies and refugee camps, embedded in the civilian population.
Guterres needs to come up with a realistic ceasefire plan, demanding that Hamas release all hostages abducted from Israel Oct. 7. Guterres apparently doesn’t see the connection between Hamas and Iran, with Iran supplying Hamas much of the cash-and-arms to attack Israel. Hamas justified its genocide as legitimate resistance from Israeli occupation. When Arabs lived in the Holy Land for over 500 years under Ottoman and British rule until 1920. Arabs didn’t revolt under Ottoman or British occupation. Between 1920 and 1967, Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip and Jordan managed the West Bank. Only after the 1967 Six Day War did Israel annex the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Hamas claims Israel occupies all Palestinian lands when, in fact, Arabs never held sovereignty over the Holy Land. Arabs living in the Holy Lands started calling themselves Palestinians in 1964.
Palestine Liberation Organization [PLO] founder Yasser Arafat worked feverishly with other Arab states to vanquish Israel in the 1967 Six Day War. In only six days, Israel vanquished the armies of Arafat’s Palestinians and six other Arab states, including Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Israel annexed Egypt’s Gaza Strip, Jordan’s West Bank and Syria’s Golan Heights as buffer zones, used by the U.N. as a point of contention with Israel. Despite U.N. demands from Arab States, that Israel return its spoils of war, Israel held on the land until 2005 when it gave the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority [PA]. Hamas seized the Gaza Strip in 2007, launching at least four wars against Israel since 2007. All wars with Israel result in the destruction of Gaza, prompting the oil-rich Gulf States to fund reconstruction efforts, all because Hamas refuses to make peace.
Hamas doesn’t want peace, it wasnts to conquer the Jewish State and return all real estate to Palestinians. Hamas gets its funding from Shiite Iran who uses Israel to appeal to Sunni Arab States, including Palestinians, to stay in perpetual war with Israel. Had the PLO and Hamas spent their time peacemaking with Israel, they would share at least some of the economic development and prosperity with Israel. Hamas and the PLO, with rare exception, chose war with Israel to perpetuate the myth that Arabs once had sovereignty over the Holy Land. Only the Ottoman Empire and Great Britain held sovereignty over the Holy Land for over 500 years. Yet only after Jews received the British Mandate of Palestine did Arabs start revolting. If Guterres wants the U.N. to play a constructive role in ending Gaza’s humanitarian disaster, he needs to tell Hamas to return the hostages and recognize Israel.
Guterres must recognize, while questioning Iran’s death sentences on pro-democracy protesters, that Iran supports Hamas’ genocide against Israeli civilians. Guterres can’t have it both ways supporting a Gaza ceasefire, while Iran continues to fan the conflict. Guterres knows that Hamas seeks nothing less that genocide against Israel, accepting much of its funding from Iran. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has ruled with brutal force, not tolerating any dissent without dire consequences. When 22-year-old Mahsa Amini wore her hijab incorrectly, the Basij militia beat her to death. Whatever nationwide protests over the Ayatollah’s brutality, it ended badly for anyone speaking out against the mullah government. Guterres should see Iran’s link to Hamas before calling for an Israeli ceasefire. Israeli can’t be expected to live with Iran-backed genocide against its citizens.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
