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| Will Hamas disarm? (CNN) |
Their evidence for their claim is the recent airstrike in
Gaza that killed dozens of Palestinians in retaliation for the Hamas attack
that killed two IDF soldiers.
Living up to their proven bias, the media gave equal credence
to the claims by both sides that it was the other side that violated the cease
fire. God forbid they believe Israel over Hamas. The “even-handed” mainstream
media will dare not believe the belligerent Netanyahu over the peace-loving
Hamas ‘fighters’ who are simply fighting for a cause they believe in. Which is
to end Israeli occupation and apartheid. But I digress.
The point here is that both Hamas and Israel said they are
still adhering to the cease-fire agreement — even though Hamas has not yet
disarmed as the agreement requires. What they have been doing is executing the
criminal element among them, which they mostly define as Palestinian
collaborators with the Zionist enemy.
So much for their peaceful intentions. The president, for
his part, was misled by Hamas to believe that they actually were just restoring
law and order. What he didn’t realize was that this meant executing Palestinian
‘rats’.
It appears that Hamas has no real intention of complying
with that most vital portion of the cease-fire agreement, and are using the
cease fire to reconstitute their ranks — which, ‘sure as shootin’, they are
doing right now!
Well, aren’t the naysayers right, then? If they don’t disarm, isn’t that a deal breaker? Of course it is. Does that mean it was a bad deal and a mistake to make that deal in the first place?
Absolutely not. That deal accomplished the impossible: It got all the living hostages returned at once. And for now, the IDF is not in harm’s way in active combat. At least for the short term. These heroes of the Gaza war are out of harm’s way for the moment and can surely use the break.
What about the fact that Hamas is trying to restore itself to its former ‘glory’? What about all the Palestinian prisoners who were released as part of the deal, some of whom were convicted of terrorism and murder? Was that price too steep?
Not in my book. 20 innocent lives were saved.
What happens in the future will be dealt with then. Hopefully Israel has finally
learned its lessen after October 7th and will never ‘drop the ball’ again!
But to reiterate the question: if Hamas reneges on what I
believe to be the most important part of the deal - complete disarmament and no possibility of a
role in governing Gaza - isn’t that the worst outcome? Will they not have been
the ultimate winner – surviving to do it all over again in the future? I don’t
think so. Here’s why:
President Donald Trump on Thursday warned that if Hamas keeps killing people in Gaza, “we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.”
“If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Thank you for your attention to this matter.” Trump later clarified that U.S. forces would not be involved in the renewed offensive he had threatened.
Well, if U.S. forces will not be involved (and they
shouldn’t be), how will ‘we’ kill them? I’ll give you three guesses.
Never mind. I’ll just
spell it out: IDF. They will go right back in and do whatever it takes to
eradicate Hamas regardless of how many Palestinian civilians Hamas puts in
Israel’s way.
If Hamas has learned anything about Trump, it is that he
doesn’t bluff. All they have to do is look at what he did to Iran at Fordow.
The president has repeated those comments several times in a
variety of ways. Will the world scream bloody murder (at both Israel and the
US)? Of course they will. Many more ‘innocent’ Palestinians will be killed. But
as always they will be screaming at the wrong parties.
Besides, it doesn’t make any difference. Once Hamas is out of the
picture as any kind of organized fighting force, the cease-fire agreement can
be restored and the world that approved this deal in the first time will surely approve
it again. Not because they love Israel (they hate Israel despite the platitudes
we sometimes hear from their leaders). But because it will be in their own
economic interests to do so as well as it will be in the best interests of the
Arab states, the U.S., and, not least of all, Israel.
Meanwhile, the vice president is in Israel to make sure Netanyahu does not ‘jump the gun’ and restart the war prematurely. He wants to give peace a chance.
Frankly, so do I. It’s just that I don’t have any
confidence in Hamas living up to their part of the bargain. We will have to see
what the deadline is for them to lay down their arms. If they do, it’s a win
for Israel, the Palestinians, the Arab states, and the free world. If they
don’t, it will still be a win — it will just take a bit longer and be a lot
bloodier.
These are my thoughts as things stand now.
Comments to this post can be made at Emes Ve-Emunah II where it is cross-posted
