Hamas in 1988 called on Islamic extremists to take part in Jihad

Sadly, but not surprisingly, the comparison between the murderous actions of Islamic terrorists in Paris, and the legitimate defensive actions of Israel in defending its citizens from rocket attack by Hamas last year has been made in an effort to once more demonise the only democratic state in the Middle East (Letters, November 25).

In doing so, Bill Russell displays the arrogance of the polemicist who bases an argument on the distorted and one-sided anti-Israel narrative of the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign which depicts the actions of Hamas as heroic.

This ignores the long-standing and unambiguous declaration by Hamas in its 1988 covenant to destroy Israel by summoning Islamic extremists from around the globe to participate in a Jihadist campaign: “The day the enemies usurp part of Moslem land, Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem. In the face of the Jews’ usurpation, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised” (Article 15).

In order to defend his outrageous analogy, Mr Russell repeats the shrill and defensive clarion call of the IPSC that “when we criticise this grave injustice, we are accused of being anti-Semetic”. Rational observers no longer delude themselves that the West is facing an existential threat from the so-called Islamic State; this includes Israel, which now has to contend with Salafist agitators fermenting discontent in Gaza because apparently Hamas is not violent enough in its actions towards Israel.

Dr Kevin McCarthy

Kinsale

Co Cork