As I write this Israeli forces are ready to thunder into Gaza on a mission to destroy Hamas which so brutally attacked southern Israeli towns Oct 7, murdering people in their homes, gunning down concert goers, and kidnapping some 222 Israeli’s, many with dual nationalities.
But the tanks and armoured personnel carriers have been lined up for more than 2 weeks, so why hasn’t the order to move been issued?
Obviously as 4 hostages have now been released, many countries including the U.S. are asking for more time for more to be set free by Hamas which is playing for time, playing pressure from Arab nations off against the rest of the world, playing a pr game to keep Israel out of Gaza for as long as possible.
It’s working to an extent, as even the Biden Administration has now leaked assessments that Israel lacks “achievable military goals in Gaza”.
A New York Times story today quotes various sources, including Pentagon and White House officials, as saying the following;
“the administration is also concerned, the officials said, that the Israel Defense Forces do not yet have a clear military pathway to achieve Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal of eradicating Hamas. In conversations with Israeli officials since the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, American officials said they have not yet seen an achievable plan of action”.
No achievable plan of action?
Well in fairness to Israel this is no easy challenge to fight a ground war in Gaza, and a subterranean assault, in miles of tunnels which are more than 200 feet under ground, zig zagging across Gaza, booby trapped, some full of hostages.
In fact the 85 yr old woman who was released by Hamas, Locheved Lifshitz spoke today of being held in the tunnels with other hostages, but she also somewhat undermined Israel’s branding of Hamas as an evil dark force, by saying in her public statement, broadcast live, about the treatment she received during her captivity.
She said in general she was well treated by Hamas terrorists.
“Each person had a guard watching him or her. They took care of all the needs. They talked about all kinds of things, they were very friendly.”
Now of course those same captors have killed other Israeli’s and they continue to hold Lifshitz’ husband who was also taken to Gaza.
No one will suddenly think Hamas is a humanitarian organization, but does this push a narrative Hamas needs to be negotiated with, not necessarily destroyed?
How can Israel destroy Hamas? It’s a fundamental question as the organization is being celebrated by Palestinians in Gaza and in parts of the West bank.
U.S. Sec of State Anthony Blinken has just addressed this at the UN saying “babies with bullets. Young people murdered with glee. Parents executed in front of their children. Children murdered in front of their parents. We have to ask where is the outrage, where is the revulsion”?
Death, suffering, darkness, is only where Hamas leads says Blinken calling for forging of a new peace initiative in the region without Hamas.
There is of course a great deal of outrage and revulsion, at barbaric crimes which can only be attributed to terrorism, when civilians are attacked with no mercy, no sense of humanity.
But of course there is also revulsion with the bombing of Gaza, and at this point 5791 Palestinians have been killed, many of them children, and that toll will sky rocket if Israeli armour rolls on Gaza.
Is there another way to remove Hamas from Gaza? Who will replace them even if Israel could achieve this? And will the ground war only set the region on fire from the Hezbollah in Lebanon, to pro Iranian proxy forces in Syria and Iraq.
The last thing the Fatah backed Palestinian Authority would want to do, is to roll into Gaza immediately after a bloody ground war knowing many Palestinians wouldn’t accept them.
But the talk of an Arab peacekeeping force, even supported by the UN, has been widely discussed, although how it would work in an area Hamas would be trying to reconstitute and would easily surrender power, is an open question.
Stir in Iran trying to upend any peace initiatives and it’s an explosive stew of discontent driven by extremists.
But that’s always been the challenge in the Palestinian Israeli conflict, how to sideline the extremists on both sides, and right now it’s never been more of a mountain to climb.