Terrorist?

Some, especially on the right, are getting their knickers in a twist about the BBC not calling Hamas terrorists. They have a habit of this - the New IRA are not called terrorists, but dissident Republicans.

Let's analyse the term a bit more closely. A terrorist is defined as 'a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims'.

There are many that argue Israel's current government has committed unlawful violence and intimidation against Palestinian civilians in pursuit of claiming their land. Even the cutting off of water, food and electricity is dicing with international law. Israel has bombed civilians in Lebanon and Syria too.

If the BBC has to call Hamas terrorists, which they undoubtedly are, then in the interest of impartiality, it arguably also has to call the Israeli government terrorists. The current difference between Hamas' terrorism and that of the Israeli government is purely a matter of distance from which the terrorism takes place.

The Palestinian people in Gaza have had no elections since 2006 - Hamas installed themselves for a 2nd term without elections. They are terrorising not only Israelis, but their own people, many of which just want to get on with their lives. Gazans are also suffering from the actions of the Israeli government - justifiably, in eyes of many, but they have no choice. They can't leave and they can't vote Hamas out. They're in the world's largest, open-air prison.

There's also the matter of people calling for those in the UK waving Palestinian flags in to be arrested. However, the Palestinian flag is not the flag of Hamas, but it is also the flag of the PLO on the West Bank (or what's left of it). The Palestinian flag is, however, banned in Israel in public places.

On the wider issue of Hamas' objective. Could it be possible that, because Israel is reaching peace deals with surrounding Islamic countries, they want to provoke an over-reaction in order to stop that process in its tracks?