Recently, Hamas terrorists from Gaza launched a vicious murderous attack on Israel. They killed over a thousand Israelis in cold blood. They raped and brutalized women, slaughtered and desecrated babies and older people, and kidnapped many who are being held hostage in Gaza.
They did so to terrorize.
Hamas has always opposed the existence of Israel and it seeks to obliterate the Jewish state. It rejects talks and any attempts to achieve peace through the creation of two states as prescribed by the United Nations Security Council.
It rules Gaza by terror, preferring to spend its funds on the construction of weapon bunkers under hospitals, mosques, schools, and residential buildings rather than in creating the infrastructure to provide Gazans with a functioning, growing economy, and peace.
Keep reading: 500 muertos en ataque a hospital en Gaza: Hamas acusa a Israel y éste a la Yihad Islámica Palestina
In short, Hamas does not really care about its citizens. They are prepared to see Gazans die wholesale so long as it serves their purpose.
Hamas opposes both the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) that has long recognized the need for a two-state solution as well as the Palestinian Authority that governs the West Bank. There has not been a free election in Gaza since 2005 so it is impossible to gauge the level of support that Hamas currently enjoys in the territory.
After these attacks, one cannot expect Israelis to allow Hamas to continue to exist.
Israelis are calling for revenge and Prime Minister Netanyahu has promised to deliver.
There is no doubt that revenge is justified but as most of know from history, it is easy to invade but difficult to disengage afterwards.
Unless Israeli can actually eliminate Hamas from Gaza, occupation by their forces will only exacerbate feelings of resentment among Palestinians and lessen the already nearly impossible for hopes of an eventual peace agreement.
There is an option that might address this conundrum and provide a chance of something good resulting from the evil Hamas has unleashed in on both Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel might avoid a full-scale invasion of Gaza and the resulting death and destruction by allowing a force of moderate Arab states with which it has good relations (Egypt, Jordan and Morocco, for example) to enter Gaza and arrest Hamas leaders and terrorists with their trials to be held in an impartial international court. This, in addition to confiscating and destroying all weapons caches effectively de-militarizing Gaza.
Egypt might reopen the Rafah crossing and provide a sanctuary where the relevant United Nations agencies could temporarily house Gazans who leave the territory temporarily while Arab forces pursue their military objectives. Gazans would then return to rebuild their territory, with the help of wealthy Arab states who clamor for Palestinian rights but have not done much since 1948 to improve their lot.
Arab leaders would have to take a strong leadership position to convince the Arab street that this is the only way to avoid a massacre of Palestinians and to ensure that a terrorist cancer is eliminated. It can also reduce Islamophobia by separating the inhumane terrorism of Hamas from the desires for peace and progress on the part of most Palestinians. Hamas has desecrated Islamic values and cheapened the lives of Palestinians to the point where they are Islam’s worst enemies.
Arab governments would of course expect something in return.
To ensure that Israel is not responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent lives, Israel would have to commit to creating a coalition government whose primary mandate would be the immediate creation of conditions that would lead to meaningful peace negotiations and an end to illegal settlements.
The Palestinian Authority would have to commit to pursuing meaningful peace negotiations with Israel and not reject sensible options as it has in the past.
Both sides would have to make compromises, and both sides would have to accept some losses to their hitherto maximalist positions.
Can this work?
No one knows.
But it may be the only opportunity to avoid a major bloodbath and ensure that generations of Israelis and Palestinians reduce levels of hatred and violence.
John Lennon once sang “give peace a chance”.
He also sang “Imagine”.
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