For John, BLUF: The differences between the State of Israel and the People of Gaza, represented by Hamas are, at this time, irreconcilable. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is the sub-headline:
Pressuring Belligerents to Talk Rarely Works—and Sometimes Backfires
From Foreign Affairs, by Professor Eric Min, 24 July 2024 .
Here is the lede plus two:
On May 31, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a three-phase proposal to end the war in the Gaza Strip. He called, first, for a temporary cease-fire tied to partial withdrawals of Israeli forces, limited hostage exchanges, and an influx of aid. Negotiations would then begin and, if successful, lead to the second phase, involving a permanent cessation of hostilities, tied to full withdrawals and complete hostage exchanges. The final phase would see reconstruction efforts begin in Gaza, and the exchange of the remains of Israeli hostages.I began reading this article with a degree of skepticism, and in the end remained skeptical. I am not a diplomat, and don’t even play one in Summer Stock. However, I am married and have three adult children.Despite the fanfare with which it was announced, this proposal was just one of many to have been made since the war began. Indeed, Israel and Hamas had previously rejected similar plans advanced by Egypt and Qatar. And, like the other proposals, the Biden plan has fallen flat. Although these mediated initiatives have not succeeded in forging peace, they represent attempts to end the ongoing suffering caused by the war. It can’t hurt to try.
Or can it? The historical record reveals that such diplomatic interventions often have hugely negative consequences. Outside powers have almost never been able to impose lasting cease-fires without support from the belligerents themselves and, perhaps more troublingly, external efforts to facilitate diplomacy can make wars worse. Rather than bringing peace, there is the uncomfortable likelihood that diplomacy which takes place regardless of what is happening on the battlefield, can actually exacerbate a war. The United States and its allies should pressure Hamas and Israel to change their wartime conduct, instead of seeking to impose negotiations when neither side has expressed an interest in a settlement.
Professor Eric Min lays out the issues involved in obtaining a cease fire in Gaza. However, the author has reconvinced me that peace between Hamas and Israel is not possible. Hamas thinks Israel should cease to exist. Israel holds a “Never Again" mentality. How can that be reconciled? A two-state solution does not meet the goal of Hamas. Without Palestinian acquiescence the two-state solution is not viable.
The author talks about "providing valuable humanitarian aid to innocent civilians caught in war’s crossfire." Given that, from a Hamas point of view, this is a Peoples War, the concept of innocent civilians differs from the idea of the Residents of Dresden in 1945. Hamas, with a majority support in Gaza, uses civilians as a shield behind which to operate. They place military facilities in tunnels under schools and hospitals. Further, we have long term stories of Hamas "taxing" humanitarian aid. Civilians in Gaza, are, in a way, part of the Hamas way of War.
We hear about the International Criminal Court, but the focus is on Israel. Which, COL John Spenser tells us is working harder than anyone in the past to protect civilians. US Rep Rashida Tlaib holds up a sign to Prime Minister Netanyahu calling him a war criminal. Yet, I don't hear people talking about how the ICC has indicted Yahya SINWAR (Head of the Islamic Resistance Movement (“Hamas”) in the Gaza Strip), Mohammed Diab Ibrahim AL-MASRI, more commonly known as DEIF (Commander-in-Chief of the military wing of Hamas, known as the Al-Qassam Brigades), and Ismail HANIYEH (Head of Hamas Political Bureau) for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of Israel and the State of Palestine (in the Gaza strip) from at least 7 October 2023.
We seem to have forgotten that Hamas has promised future repetitions of Operation al Aqsa Flood (7 October 2023). Do we doubt this promise? I would not.
Our Vice President recently said:
It is time for this war to end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self determination,From my time in the Air Force Procurement dodge, I remember that the goal was a contract that provided a product on time, to specification and at price. The tag line was “pick two.”
The Palestinians in Gaza wish to return to their homes in what is now Israeli national territory, homes abandoned in 1948, with the hope of returning after the Arab Armies had defeated Israel.
There is nothing to be had in the way of a cease fire in Gaza as long as Hamas has a degree of control in Gaza. Why would they (Hamas) agree to a cease fire? They gain nothing by accepting a cease fire. The status quo results in Israel being more and more branded as evil. We can see the impact as we look at demonstrations on US Campuses, or in front of Washington, DC's Union Station.
America hasn’t failed to forge an Israel-Hamas cease-fire, because there is none to forge. We need either a form of metanoia within Hamas or a mass migration of Israeli Citizens to another land (the US would be OK with me). The author, Professor Min, seems to miss this point.
Regards — Cliff
The possibility of peace in the Holy Lands is depressing beyond measure, but seeking peace is America's task. It is a critical part of our identity. John Kennedy's speech writers gave him beautiful words, "The New Frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises, it is a set of challenges." One challenge was a moon landing..."because it was hard." No one should doubt peace in the Holy Land will be an extraordinary challenge and no one should doubt or forget the Zionist "Lehi" group called the "Stern Gang" by the British authorities who suffered many casualties to terrorism by members of the Stern Gang who self identified as terrorists. The Stern Gang was creating a country, a long denied home land; these terrorists became key leadership members of the new Israeli government. With years of distance, America's fight for independence seems shiny and pure, it was not. The Palestinian-Americas found their home in Henry Ford's neighborhood and across America. They adopted America as all Americans from afar did. They purchased the homes of my Italian-America relatives, who had moved into the American dream, just as Palestinians have been doing now.
ReplyDeleteFor a time, I traveled the Maghreb each year listening and learning. When the Children of Islam would speak about the Palestinians, they actually spoke of the actions of Israel and the actions of Israeli's main supporter America. The people of the Maghreb focused on their own issues. They have little ability to help the Palestinians. Their struggle is often greater that that of the Palestinians.
Peace in the Holy Land is worth pursuing. "Not because it is easy, but because it is hard." Late this afternoon, the new anti-terrorist in Persian cut off the head of today's current threat to peace. A huge step forward, commit to the challenge! Juan Paron