The problem is that the language you're using—"propped up Hamas"—obscures the fact that for the bulk of the time when Israel was directly supporting Sheikh Ahme

The problem is that the language you're using—"propped up Hamas"—obscures the fact that for the bulk of the time when Israel was directly supporting Sheikh Ahmed Yassin's efforts, "Hamas" technically didn't exist. Yes, those early contributions obviously facilitated its emergence, but this is probably why people are disagreeing with you. On the other hand, that doesn't belie the argument that Israel/Netanyahu's tactics since 1989 (e.g. leveraging Qatari aid) have ulterior motives assigned. This CNN article touches well on the reasoning behind Netanyahu's approval for the Qatari aid: https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/11/middleeast/qatar-hamas-funds-israel-backing-intl https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/11/middleeast/qatar-hamas-funds-... Your original point about Hamas being used as a proxy for Iran was solid. It's a pity that it's since descended into an argument about a secondary remark. But the support that Hamas gets from Iran versus the support than Hamas gets from Qatar (with Israeli/American approval) shouldn't be conflated. https://jstribune.com/levitt-the-hamas-iran-relationship/ https://jstribune.com/levitt-the-hamas-iran-relationship/ https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/nato-partner-and-hamas-host-a-39579533-e4a2-400a-a78e-9a8836606ccc https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/nato-partner-and-...