Trying to rally international support in Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited the gruesome video of a US journalist’s beheading by the Islamic State extremist group and said Hamas is an equally vicious foe.
However, the comparisons between Hamas and IS are being met with reservations by Israel’s allies and enemies alike.
A day after the IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), posted the video of journalist James Foley’s killing, Netanyahu debuted his latest catchphrase: “Hamas is ISIS. ISIS is Hamas.” He voiced the slogan at a news conference, on Twitter and at his weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday.
As Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza nears its eighth week, Netanyahu is fighting an uphill battle for international support. While the world community generally supports Israel’s right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket fire, the world has grown increasingly uncomfortable with the scenes coming out of Gaza.
Hundreds of Israeli airstrikes, along with tank and artillery fire, have killed more than 2,100 people and caused widespread destruction. UN and Palestinian officials say most of the dead were civilians, including about 500 children.
“There is complete agreement, almost a consensus, that [IS] is a monstrous organization, but there is no international agreement that Hamas is a monstrous organization,” Israeli television commentator Moti Kirschenbaum said.
Perhaps with this distinction in mind, Netanyahu has tried to frame the military operation in Gaza not as a local conflict, but as part of a broader global fight against a unified Islamist threat.
“Many countries in the region and the West are beginning to understand that this is one front,” Netanyahu said. “They are branches of the same poisoned tree.”
He said both groups had carried out extra-judicial killings, a nod to Hamas’ public shooting on Friday of suspected spies for Israel. However, his pairing of Hamas and the Islamic State group has hit bumps.
When asked about Netanyahu’s comparison last week, US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the US considers both groups terrorist organizations, but added: “I think by definition they are two different groups. They have different leadership. And I’m not going to compare them in that way.”
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