Palestinians do not necessarily support Hamas because they support all the actions of 7/10, they support Hamas because it has come to represent their aspirations for freedom and a sovereign state. (Photo credit AP)

Hamas is listed as a terrorist organisation in the UK after it followed the US line, and therefore supporting it is illegal in the UK – however, adhering to a law doesn’t necessarily mean one has to agree with that law, many disagree with many laws of the land, but still adhere to them – because they do not want to break the law. Many countries do not designate Hamas a terrorist organisation, including Turkey, Norway, and Qatar. The UN does not recognise Hamas as a terrorist organisation either.

Hamas being a terrorist organisation is largely a political designation, these designations regularly are – proven so many times in the past, and currently being proven by the fact that there is a quid-pro-quo being negotiated with the Houthis, to take them OFF the “terrorist list” based on political reasons.

Here’s the solution to ending the war and getting to peace:

The most constructive way forward, and I presume this is what will happen sooner or later, is this.

• Ceasefire
• Exchange hostages
• Take Hamas off the terrorist list so proper and comprehensive negotiations can begin, because they will remain, in some capacity, with strong support from the public no matter what
• Make them commit to not attack Israel
• Begin an irreversible roadmap to a two a two-solution to come into fruition within 12 months.
• Palestine (joining up Gaza and the West Bank) to be built with modern infrastructure, sustainable energy and clean water, world-class architecture, technology, healthcare, education, favourable taxation, thoughtfully designed business creation incentives, and world class resorts on the Mediterranean in Gaza. Work on rebuilding Palestine begins immediately with a global competition where master planners, architects, technologists, form consortiums to compete for large financial awards and the opportunity to build up historic Palestine as a sovereign state. Palestine is rebuilt and governed by Palestinians. Economic and tax incentives are designed within their countries by partner countries to encourage private foreign investment, so private sector investors have a vested long-term interest in Gaza and businesses are incentivized to locate in Palestine.

Many experts and commentators across the spectrum; at political and military level, have said, very clearly, over many months, that Hamas cannot be defeated.

There are some who compare Hamas to the Nazis and cite how we defeated the Nazis, and so therefore, they argue, we can defeat Hamas and its ideology too – but this lacks even a rudimentary understanding of the reality, it is a totally inappropriate comparison. The Nazis wanted to take over Europe, dominate the world and believed in Aryan supremacy. They were not fighting a fight for human rights and self-determination in their own motherland. They were expansionists, supremacists (ironically, much more akin to what Zionism is). Hamas is a completely different ideology; it is a patriotic movement – formed after decades of oppression and subjugation from Zionism, from Israel, against the Palestinians. Whether Hamas remains Hamas in name or not, is also irrelevant, the desire that Hamas represents at the core, which is fighting for a sovereign Palestinian state, will remain within the Palestinian population until there is an equally sovereign Palestinian state. And to put it crudely, the only way to get rid of that desire would be to eradicate the entire Palestinian population, and that is not going to happen.

With Nazi Germany the basic deal to the Germans was, give up Nazism and live within your own country – the equivalent with Hamas and the Palestinians would be to say, give up your fight and live under occupation all your lives. That is not going to happen either, unless we want perpetual wars.