Israel is making a mistake which may trigger a World War

 

How can Israel eradicate Hamas?  More Gazan deaths and destruction spawns anti-Israel hatred in many Arabs, Muslims, and others around the world.

My previous blog makes clear my belief that Hamas and other Arab leaders are responsible for these problems because of their insistence on destroying Israel, rather than finding a road to peace and helping Palestinians have a better life.

Israel was right to exact a disproportionate toll for the recent Hamas attacks.  But Israel has already exacted such a toll.

Now it risks a broader conflict which could trigger a third World War.  China is watching carefully.  If an extended war continues in Ukraine and starts in the Middle East, it is likely to invade Taiwan.

Israel should now show restraint and offer a cease-fire with some conditions.

1. Return of hostages
2. Cessation of missile strikes and terrorist actions
3. Free internationally-supervised elections in Gaza by a specified date.
4. Ability for Israel to state its case to Palestinians
5. Possibly internationally-supervised destruction of missile stocks

If Hamas refuses, Israel might fight on with a bit more world support or might consider a Hamas counter-proposal. 

Israel should blanket Gaza and the West Bank with leaflets explaining how Arab leaders’ long-term strategies have harmed the Palestinians, with links to evidence that Hamas hit the hospital parking lot, etc.

Background:

I’ve been critical of President Biden’s handling of Afghanistan and Ukraine and of his previous handling of issues related to Israel, but he has done a good job in this circumstance.

Democracies and autocracies are fighting for the support of humans worldwide.  In that regard, there is a key similarity between Israel’s current actions and our actions after 9/11.

Immediately after 9/11, there was tremendous world sympathy for the USA.  It turned world opinion more in our favor than it had been in a long time.  We blew that advantage with our unjustified invasion of Iraq.  (Note: I was in favor of the first Iraq war, under the first President Bush, when we defended Kuwait.  I was in favor of President Clinton’s efforts in Bosnia.  But I was strongly opposed to the second President Bush’s invasion of Iraq.  I was very upset that almost all Democrats voted in support of this war.  I believe they did so because they feared that if they opposed the war and we won it quickly nonetheless, voters would react negatively toward them.  They put political power ahead of their patriotic duty.)

Similarly, here Israel had a lot of sympathy after the October 7 Hamas attacks but is blowing it.  There is a big difference: Israel was justified to attack Gaza whereas the USA was not justified to attack Iraq.  Nonetheless, the psychological impacts are parallel.