Jeffrey Goldberg in an interview by Michael J. Totten:

Just because a belief sounds ridiculous to you doesn’t mean it’s not sincerely held... So I think it’s best to err on the side of taking people at their word. That doesn’t mean you can’t analyze it and break it down on the politics, break it down on the psychology, and break it down on the religion. But take them at their word. I believe Hamas when it says it wants to eradicate Israel. Why shouldn’t I believe them? ... Palestinians, over the years, have proven that they’re willing to sacrifice generations of people to achieve their goal of a Jewish-free Palestine.

I think he is absolutely right. Far too many “pro-Palestinians” in Europe try to alter and interpret Hamas and other terrorist groups into something they are not. The truth of the matter is that the terrorists mean exactly what they are saying—no interpretation needed. When Hamas leaders say they will not settle for less than the complete destruction of Israel and the Jewish people, that is precisely what they mean.

This is why there cannot be any final peace deal made between Israel and the Palestinians; this no matter how much Barack Obama threatens Israel with less military aid. For Jews in Israel, fighting the Palestinians is all about survival. To surrender is to commit suicide.

Read the interview in full here.