Is Hamas a rebel group or a terrorist group? The definition of rebel is: To refuse allegiance to and oppose by force an established government or ruling authority. The definition of terrorist is: the systematic use of violence as a means to intimidate or coerce societies or governments. Wow that’s weird it seems to me that any rebel group in the world right now is a terrorist group. And if that wasn’t enough that must mean that the United States is responsible for some “terrorist activities such as the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. In my opinion Hamas is a rebel group not a terrorist group (please voice your opinions I want to see what other people think too). The main reason that I think that Hamas is a rebel group is that they are only fighting one group of people. The Israelis. Also in my opinion the only reason that they kill innocent civilians and blow themselves up in suicide attacks is because they lack the military power to challenge the United States backed Israeli military! They hit civilian targets because their goal justified or not is to get Israel out of Palestine and regain the territory they had before WW2. I think the main reason lots of groups use tactics that are being labeled, as terror is that they are repressed and or they lack the strength to face a military superpower on military terms.

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Politics is about self and national interests and as such, and taking a teachers role, ask yourself "Why don't the Israelis see it my way?" or why don't most American's see it my way?" You'll begin to realize that the "truth"
(what is) can be manipulated to suit self or national interests and this is done in some cases by labeling (naming) or any other available means.

So, regarding your post i would have to say ....."so?"

Hmmmm I have issue with the way "Rebel" is defined. I don't think "Force" is a requirement to be a rebel or participate in a rebellion. For example, the people in Tienanmen Square, would at least in my mind, qualify as "Rebels" and that situation was a good example of Non-Violent Rebellion.

Terrorists can be rebels though (not all terrorists have clear opposition to an established government or ruling authority), however, what makes a terrorist a "Terrorist" is the method of force used. The key point of the method I am talking about is the intentional and deliberate use of innocent non-combatants as legitimate targets or tools.

Anyways, that's my spin.

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The Science of Brute Force......

This is my definition of a terrorist as well. If you do a terroist act, then you are a terrorist regardless if you weapon of choice are a car bomb carlessly parked outside a police station or a cruse missile fired from a submarine that knocks out a water purification plant. This act should of cause lead to the classificasion of your organisation as a terrorist organisation and those who finance the organisation, throu donations, drug smuggling or taxes are to be considered terrorist supporters.

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Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he doesn't become a monster.
Friedrich Nietzsche

Are not recognised as a army, so partisans. Target civilians for political gain, they are terrorists.

I don't care squat if someone are a member of a recognized army. If someone do terrorist acts then that person is a terrorist, end of story.

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Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he doesn't become a monster.
Friedrich Nietzsche

If Hamas is a terrorist organization than so is the Israeli Government AND our government. All you have to consider is motive. If Hamas was truly a 'terrorist organization' wouldn't there only motive be to terrorize? Because if you say they have other motives, they are not terrorists at all, but rebels or 'fighters for their freedom'. You cannot call them terrorists because they make attacks in retaliation because that's what Israel does almost every week and that's what we are doing in Afghanistan and Iraq. How one carries out attacks is irrelevant, that's like calling someone a killer if they kill someone with a knife and another person a murderer for killing someone with a gun, they are both killers and murderers. Makes absolute zero sense, you can't blame Hamas for not having the arms to launch an all-out assault. The only way to define someone as a terrorist is to look at their motive, and if it's just to terrorize than yes, they are terrorists. Hamas are not. Do you not think civilians died in the attack on Iraq? Do you KNOW that Hamas doesn't care who they kill when one of their suicide bombers attack? Common sense leads me to think that they would much rather kill a soldier or Israeli official, than kill a civilian. Most people are so brainwashed into thinking that Hamas are savages, yet they have no evidence to support such a claim. It's pretty ridiculous when you actually think about it.

Or if you wanted another and probably the best example of a non-violant rebel, how about one of the biggest and greatest rebels ever....Ghandi, who brought the British empire to its knees.

But from what little Ive read about Hamas so far is Id have to go with rebels.
The Israeli government kill innocent civilians as well and Hamas retaliates and vice versa. Its the only mean Hamas can fight, the same could have been said of us and how we won the United States from the British and the Indians.

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JJ

They are both rebels and terrorists. Israelis are the latter as well. My policy with the Middle East? There are no good guys. The Israelis have comitted as many atrocities as Hamas or the Islamic Jihad.

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"The only thing we have to fear is four more years of George W. Bush." -Teddy Kennedy

Hamas is SCUM. Israel on occasion makes a mistake when fighting rebels and innocents get killed. HAMAS PURPOSELY KILLS WOMEN AND CHILDREN. Israel should wipe them all off the face of the earth.

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