Like many extremist leaders, Sinwar 'did not seek' a peaceful Palestinian state alongside Israel

By Bhaskar Sur*

The death of Yahya Sinwar, mastermind behind the October 7 massacre last year, came on October 16, after a life marked by violence and radicalism. Born in 1962 in a refugee camp, Sinwar harbored intense hatred towards Jews, which ultimately defined his actions and worldview. He masterminded the killing of 1,200 Israelis, and, like Hitler, envisioned a "Final Solution"—the destruction of Israel and a second Holocaust.

Sinwar’s early involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood, a militant Islamist organization, set the stage for his later leadership in Hamas, a group driven by the goal of erasing Israel. He was imprisoned in Israel for killing 12 Palestinians suspected of spying, and during his time in prison, he became fluent in Hebrew and a prolific reader, gaining cleverness but not wisdom. Upon his release in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange, he quickly resumed militant activities, working with Hamas to develop military strategies.

Like many extremist leaders, Sinwar did not seek a peaceful Palestinian state alongside Israel. Instead, he envisioned the total conquest of "Mandate Palestine," from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, necessitating the eradication of Israel and its people. This ambition is not just impractical but disastrous, with Palestinians themselves likely to suffer the greatest consequences.

Western commentators, unfamiliar with Islamic traditions and the real goals of groups like Hamas, often misunderstand the situation. They focus on the desire for a Palestinian state, overlooking the fact that Arab states initially rejected the 1947 UN partition plan, which provided for such a state. For many Arabs, the existence of Israel is seen as an affront to Islam, making coexistence with the Jewish state unacceptable.

Over the years, as secular Arab leaders failed to destroy Israel, Islamist movements like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran's Islamic Revolution filled the vacuum. Hamas, despite being a Sunni group, accepted aid from Shia Iran, joining the so-called Axis of Resistance—a coalition committed to Israel’s destruction.

The October 7 massacre was a calculated move to provoke Israel into a retaliatory strike, hoping that global outrage over civilian casualties would shift sentiment against Israel. For Hamas, high casualties among Palestinians serve a dual purpose: rallying support from the global liberal left while simultaneously framing those who die in jihad as martyrs destined for paradise.

Sinwar, like other extremist leaders, was driven by an ideology that prioritized the destruction of Israel above all else, indifferent to the suffering of his own people. He shares with figures like Pol Pot the brutal certainty of his convictions, showing no concern for the human cost of his dangerous ambitions. Those who support or sympathize with such figures, whether out of ideological blindness or self-deception, are similarly complicit in the tragic consequences.

---

Source: Author's Facebook timeline

Comments

Anonymous said…

Sinwar was a hero. The jewish lies no longer work.

October 29, 2024

When a lake becomes real estate: The mismanagement of Hyderabad’s waterbodies

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Misunderstood, misinterpreted and misguided governance and management of urban lakes in India —illustrated here through Hyderabad —demands urgent attention from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the political establishment, the judiciary, the builder–developer lobby, and most importantly, the citizens of Hyderabad. Fundamental misconceptions about urban lakes have shaped policies and practices that systematically misuse, abuse and ultimately erase them—often in the name of urban development.

'Serious violation of international law': US pressure on Mexico to stop oil shipments to Cuba

By Vijay Prashad In January 2026, US President Donald Trump declared Cuba to be an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US security—a designation that allows the United States government to use sweeping economic restrictions traditionally reserved for national security adversaries. The US blockade against Cuba began in the 1960s, right after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 but has tightened over the years. Without any mandate from the United Nations Security Council—which permits sanctions under strict conditions—the United States has operated an illegal, unilateral blockade that tries to force countries from around the world to stop doing basic commerce with Cuba. The new restrictions focus on oil. The United States government has threatened tariffs and sanctions on any country that sells or transports oil to Cuba.

When grief becomes grace: Kerala's quiet revolution in organ donation

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Kerala is an important model for understanding India's diversity precisely because the religious and cultural plurality it has witnessed over centuries brought together traditions and good practices from across the world. Kerala had India's first communist government, was the first state where a duly elected government was dismissed, and remains the first state to achieve near-total literacy. It is also a land where Christianity and Islam took root before they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Kerala has deep historic rationalist and secular traditions.

Bangladesh goes to polls as press freedom concerns surface

By Nava Thakuria* As Bangladesh heads for its 13th Parliamentary election and a referendum on the July National Charter simultaneously on Thursday (12 February 2026), interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged all participating candidates to rise above personal and party interests and prioritize the greater interests of the Muslim-majority nation, regardless of the poll outcomes.

Beyond the conflict: Experts outline roadmap for humane street dog solutions

By A Representative In a direct response to the rising polarization surrounding India’s street dog population, a high-level coalition of parliamentarians, legal experts, and civil society leaders gathered in the capital to propose a unified national framework for humane animal management. The emergency deliberations were sparked by a recent Suo Moto judgment that has significantly deepened the divide between animal welfare advocates and those calling for the removal of community dogs, a tension that has recently escalated into reported violence against both animals and their caretakers in states like Telangana.

Why 20 years later, Rang De Basanti feels less like cinema, more like warning

By Mohd Ziyaullah Khan* This Republic Day , the Rang De Basanti , starring Aamir Khan , completed 20 years since its release. I first watched it in a single-screen theatre in my city—at a time when multiplexes were only just beginning to appear and our town was still waiting for one. It remains my favourite film, and I often revisit it on OTT platforms or television around Independence Day or Republic Day, when the air is thick with rehearsed patriotism. A few days ago, I noticed it streaming again on Jio Hotstar . Released in 2006, it is a film I have watched many times over the years. Yet, like all powerful cinema, returning to it at different stages of life offers a different experience. Twenty years ago, I found it deeply inspiring. In 2026, watching it again felt suffocating. At its core, the film follows a group of Delhi University friends who challenge the might of the central government after one of their own, a flight lieutenant, is killed in a MiG aircraft crash alleged...

Stray dogs, an epsilon (ϵ) problem: Of child labour, and the art of misplaced priorities

By Bhaskaran Raman The Greek alphabet ϵ (epsilon) is used in maths and science to denote a quantity which is not zero, but extremely small *** Since the Supreme Court's interim order on the issue of stray dogs came out on 07 Nov 2025, there have been a range of opinion pieces speaking for the voiceless. Most of them take the stance that there is a "problem" with stray dogs, but that we need a humane solution. I agree with this broadly, but I think we need new terminology to talk about this.

A. R. Rahman's ‘Yethu’ goes viral, celebrating Tamil music on the world stage

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* Good news for Tamil music lovers—the Mozart of Madras is back in the Tamil music industry with his song “Yethu” from the film “Moonwalk.” The track has climbed international charts, once again placing A. R. Rahman on the global stage.

Constitution vs. mining: The trial of environmental justice in Pachama Dadar

By Raj Kumar Sinha* The auction process for the Pachama Dadar bauxite block in Balaghat district, Madhya Pradesh, was initiated in 2023. Yet a closer examination of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report submitted for this proposed mining project reveals serious procedural and substantive failures that call into question the legitimacy of the entire exercise.

Search This Blog