Some argue that Israel has already lost the war in Gaza. Why?
First, despite its stated aim of eliminating Hamas, Israel appears unlikely or unable to use the necessary force to do so. Thus, Hamas has been significantly weakened but has not been eliminated. It continues to have a significant presence in Gaza.
The Israeli government has repeatedly and consistently emphasized its insistence that Hamas be eliminated. It seems clear, however, that Hamas will not disappear in the near future and there is no reason to think it will disappear in the far future.
We can wax poetic about the reasons for the above: international pressure, U.S. pressure, U.S. elections, military losses, the hostages, the hostages’ families’ continued demonstrations, war fatigue, media fatigue, Bibi fatigue, etc. Allegedly, Oct. 7 is eons in the past and supposed Palestinian suffering dominates the news cycle. The hot northern border must be allowed to cool down. The excuses are endless.
If all of the above is true, then the bottom line is that Hamas is here to stay. Worse still, Hamas has not conceded a permanent ceasefire as a condition of the current proposed “deal.” Thus, they can commit another Oct. 7 once they have regrouped and rearmed without even violating a ceasefire as they did on Oct. 7 itself.
The pressure on Israel to agree to such a deal may be overwhelming. But Israel’s goals have clearly not been achieved nor can they be achieved under such circumstances.
Israel has made a valiant attempt to remove the tumor that is Hamas. But leaving behind even 10% of a tumor guarantees that it will metastasize once again.
In any conflict, the victor is only victorious when the loser is forced to recognize that he has lost. Unfortunately, any current proposal to end the war will allow Hamas to claim it has won. Right or wrong, if they perceive victory, we’ve lost.
This means one thing only: We will win and settle this conflict once and for all when we force Hamas to admit defeat.
