I was stunned last night watching the evening news. Ögmundur Jónasson, the Minister of the Interior, screaming at Obama in front of the American embassy.

“Stop supporting Israel. Stop their killing in Gaza.”

Ögmundur was screaming loud and clear but Obama could hardly hear him. He is in Myanmar trying to speed up the democratic process where the military junta has had an iron grip on its people for more than thirty years.

Ögmundur was right, it is terrible that 80 people lost their lives (according to updated figures, 110 Palestinians) in the Gaza Strip in just five days.

But Ögmundur was wrong to support Hamas, the governing political party in Gaza.

Yes, it is terrible that so many people have lost their lives but he did not mention the 40,000 people who have died in the last 18 months next door in Syria. Or the regime in Iran, the main supporters of weapons and money to Hamas.

Hamas have been provoking Israel for a long time, shooting missiles all the way to Tel-Aviv. Just yesterday, up to 500 missiles were reportedly launched.

Why... their support has been losing ground in Gaza. They know if they would allow free elections, they would lose. People want peace. So the easiest way to stay in power is not to allow free elections and to shoot Iranian made missiles towards Israel. They are trying to win the support of the people in Gaza again by showing they are the strong guys standing up against Israel.

At a terrible cost to the local population.

But if Ögmundur is sincere he should look at Syria. The situations there gets worse by the day.

And there is a real danger of genocide when Bashar al-Assad’s government loses its hopeless battle.

Millions could be killed in ethnic cleansing when the war is over with the Alawis, Christians and Druze making up almost one quarter of the population.

In the back seat, the Government of Iran.

Ögmundur, your people?

Páll Stefánsson – ps@icelandreview.com