Tag: Hamas

A Ceasefire in Gaza! Kudos to Trump…IF He is Able to Implement it.

On Wednesday, President Trump announced that a ceasefire in Gaza had been brokered between Israel and Hamas (together with collaboration from several countries in the region). Although I frequently criticize the president for several political decisions that I consider immoral and vile, on this issue he should be applauded…temporarily, at least. The president issued a 20-point plan that (supposedly) both Hamas and Israel have agreed to. Nevertheless, some of these items might become “sticking points” if either side doesn’t follow through. Here are some of those points:

  1. Israel agreed to halt its bombardment of Gaza. What happens if they continue to wage war on Gazans?
  2. Hamas has agreed to disarm its followers/soldiers. Who will verify and certify this disarmament?
  3. Israel has long opposed the independence of Gaza, but supposedly has now agreed that Gazans would be free. They would be governed by an international “peace council” of which Trump himself would oversee. What happens if the Israeli government backs away from this agreement?
  4. The Trump plan allows for the discussion of nationhood of Palestine. Netanyahu says this is a “no-go”. This is a serious sticking point. Can Trump use his influence to get Israel to change its position?
  5. Israel has agreed to pull out its soldiers from most of Gaza. What happens if they keep some/most of their soldiers there?
  6. All Israeli and Palestinian hostages and detainees would be returned to their homeland and loved ones. What a wonderful homecoming! What happens if there are discrepancies in the number and health of these returnees? Who verifies these figures?

A just peace in Palestine has not happened for a long time. May this time be different!!!

Violence Begets More Violence

A week ago, Hamas viciously attacked Israel with missiles and ruthless kidnappings. This attack took the Israeli government by surprise, but Israel then responded by bombing Gaza. These mutual attacks have been bloody. Thousands of people have already been killed and more than a hundred people are being held hostage by Hamas. It is understandable that Israel wants to get revenge and they are poised to launch a massive ground assault in Gaza. Although this is understandable, it is also immoral and shortsighted. Their announced goal is to permanently rid Gaza of Hamas leadership. It is a flawed plan for the following reasons:

  1. Hamas leaders are probably hidden away in underground tunnels throughout Gaza, making it difficult to capture or kill them. In this pursuit of Hamas leadership, a ground assault will become prolonged and will lead to the death of many Gazan civilians.
  2. In addition, the Israeli government is cutting off food, water, and electricity to the 2.5 million civilians who live in Gaza. This is already producing a humanitarian crisis of gigantic proportions and the death of numerous innocent people.
  3. Although Israel currently has the empathy and support of much of the world community, that will soon evaporate if large numbers of civilians lose their lives.
  4. A ground assault will lead to the death of the hostages, not their liberation.
  5. Neither the Israelis nor the United States have proposed a viable exit strategy. When will enough of the Hamas leadership be destroyed for Israel to claim victory? How many civilians will have died?

Positive actions do exist and should be pursued:

  1. A ceasefire should be implemented immediately which would permit humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
  2. The U.S. should lean on Egypt to open their border crossing into Gaza to permit refugees to escape.
  3. Neutral countries should step up to mediate and promote a long-lasting peace that would lead to the removal of Hamas leadership and would promote a two state solution and self-government for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

Continued “justified” violence is not the answer. It would only lead to more senseless violence.