There is Nothing Moderate About Haniyeh Nor Hamas

 

(via Reuters)

With Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh no longer walking the face of the Earth (courtesy of Israel in all likelihood), there are some who see fit to eulogize him as a moderate such as the Associated Press, BBC, Reuters and Sky News. Whereas The Guardian settled for describing Haniyeh as "pragmatic."

In so doing, these media outlets rendered the term moderate meaningless. One can describe Arizona Senator and possible VP choice Mark Kelly as a moderate. The man who oversaw the murder of 1,200 civilians and took 240 hostages cannot and should never be described as a moderate. The same can be said of Hamas whose raison d'etre is to vanquish Jews. 

In a way, it is fitting that Haniyeh met his fate in Tehran. Haniyeh had met with and attended the inauguration of Iran's new President Masoud Pezeshkian who has also been bestowed with the moderate label by Reuters, The Guardian, and CBS News among others. Pezeshkian, striking a moderate tone, described Haniyeh's killing as "a treacherous Zionist raid." On the day of his "election", Pezeshkian vowed, "God willing, we will try to have friendly relations with all countries except Israel."

Let us also remember that Iran is Hamas' principal sponsor. So long as Iran seeks Israel's destruction, Hamas will be in lockstep. 

The objectives of Iran and Hamas can be described in many ways. Moderate is not among them.