Peace in Gaza?

How do you negotiate with a rabid dog?

Peace in Gaza?

I have made it a point to not get into day-to-day political events. On the other hand, it is easy enough to discern my outlook on government and politics. This time around, I’m going to get into the weeds.

Gaza. It’s horrible what’s happening there. That’s something we can all agree on, and I believe in starting out with what we all agree on. Innocent people are dying. Children are dying. What did they ever do that they deserve to die? We all agree on this.

Now let’s diverge on what we don’t agree on: What to do about it. Just now, I considered the general cry from people for Israel to stop the bombing, the bloodshed. And I realized the bloodshed could be stopped just as readily with Hamas’ surrender. Why is there no hue and cry for Hamas to surrender? And why doesn’t Hamas surrender? If you think Hamas legitimately rules Gaza, you are mistaken. It is a totalitarian organization that rules by force and terror, with guns instead of votes. Hamas doesn’t surrender because it has no problem with Gazans dying as Israel works to eliminate the scourge that is Hamas.

Am I wrong? Will you defend Hamas? Does anyone defend Hamas? Do ‘journalists’ defend Hamas? Do Gazans defend Hamas? Do Gazans pine for the good old days when Hamas ruled over them with impunity?

Hamas slaughtered over 1200 people on Oct 7, 2023. Why? There was no military objective. There is no doubt there was pure, unbridled hatred of Jews in the hearts of every one of those Hamas murderers, rapists, and kidnappers. That is easily known. But what was the strategy, the objective, that Hamas leaders hoped to achieve with such an attack?

You may remember that, immediately after the attack, Hamas was condemned world-wide for what it did. Even then, I wondered why they did it. I remember one expert (I don’t recall who) saying that Hamas did this because it knew that Israel would retaliate, and that the world would turn against it as a result. I respect people who prove to be right when everyone else gets it wrong.

If Hamas had any motive beyond pure hatred, that must be it. They wanted to unleash the world’s inner hatred for Jews. And it worked. Still, I doubt that Hamas considered that Israel would retaliate as thoroughly as it has done. Perhaps Hamas leaders, with the encouragement of Iranian leaders and money, concluded that they would come out ahead in the long run. Israel has been under incessant threat since its current beginnings after WWII. People mindlessly chant “From the river to the sea”, yet Israel persists. Israel is a beacon of freedom in a region of hatred and oppression. Is it tough to be a Muslim in Israel? Near as I can tell, not so much. Now, try being a Jew or Christian in Gaza. Try being a Jew or Christian in a lot of places in the Middle East and Africa.

I have said, in response to many people’s accusations that Israel is overreacting to the senseless slaughter of 1200 people, if you don’t like the way I defend myself, don’t attack me.

I would not be writing this, and ‘journalists’ would have no story to report on daily, if Hamas had not senselessly attacked on Oct 7, 2023. This could all end tomorrow, if Hamas would surrender. Surrender is the principled, ethical thing for them to do, and therefore they will not do it. I want this to end, but both Israel and I know that this will never really end until the dogs have been pushed back into their cage, and the cage door sealed shut. Then, and only then, can the Middle East have any hope of lasting peace.

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