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Hamas Makes Demands for Israeli Ceasfire by John M. Curtis Copyright
Nov. 19 2012 Demanding that Israel halt all aggression toward Hamas, end targeted assassinations of Hamas leaders and stop its five-year blockade on the Gaza Strip, Hamas said it’s prepared to continue its rocket assault on Israel. Gaza’s demand is not a halt to war: Its demand is for its legitimate rights,” said exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, revealed publicly that Hamas is officially at war with Israel. All foreign governments busy trying to broker a ceasefire understand that Meshaal publicly admits Hamas continues its war of annihilation with Israel. U.S. President Barack Obama, while deploring the violence, stated emphatically that Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas’ rocket attacks. Whatever collateral damage happens in the Gaza Strip, the responsibility lies with the warring party, not Israel. Hamas’ demands for a ceasefire are naïve and unrealistic. No matter what Hamas’ justifications for rocket attacks on Israel, including the long and complicated history going back to Israel’s 1948 statehood, the militant group founded in 1987 by Sheik Ahmed Yassin, for the expressed purpose of destroying Israel, remains at war with Israel. Meshaal makes clear that any ceasefire is only temporary and, unlike the West Bank-controlled Palestinian Authority, the war of liberating Palestine goes on. When Meshaal met with Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jabali and other Mideast leaders on a ceasefire agreement, they all know that Hamas’ remains at war with the Jewish state. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has his work cut out for him helping Arab leaders broaden their view of Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas’ rocket attacks. Hamas’ pleas for military support have fallen on deaf ears. While there’s little sympathy for Israel, no Arab nation wishes to risk its own security joining Meshaal’s utter madness of war with Israel. Gaza’s Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Meshaal know that only Gaza, with its ramshackle infrastructure, can’t afford more decimation. Attacking Israel wins Hamas plaudits in the Muslim world but also cash donations for the eventual rebuilding efforts. Despite supplying Hamas missiles, their Shiite allies in Iran or Lebanon’s Hezbollah have been conspicuously absent during the weeklong battle with Israel. Hamas knows that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won’t meet its ceasefire demands. With Meshaal stating clearly Hamas’ war with Israel, there are no protections for any radical Palestinian group whose stated mission is destroying the Jewish state. Firing another 110 missiles into Israel on Monday, Hamas shows know signs of stopping the bombardment, prompting worries about an Israeli ground invasion. No one knows whether Israel’s current aerial bombardment can stop Hamas’ mobile rocket launchers without turning Gaza into a rock pile. Hamas officials aren’t concerned about the collateral damage because their goal is largely symbolic. Nothing brings Hamas more sympathy and cash than attacking Israel. While politically incorrect, most Islamic nations—including Egypt that has a peace treaty with Israel—would love to lash out at Israel. Because Hamas has so little to lose, they’re egged on by Israel’s enemies, including Turkey, whose Prime Minister Erdogan, calls Israel the “aggressor.” “Whoever started this war must end it,” said Netanyahu, signaling that he has no intention of meeting Hamas’ demands. Because of their superior military strength, Israel’s always in a no-win position defending itself against rocket fire. On the one hand, Western powers acknowledge Israel’s right to defend itself. On the other hand, they’re all worried about collateral damage. No military can have such pinpoint accuracy to avoid all collateral damage. Imbedding mobile rocket launchers in Gaza’s civilian population uses non-combatants as human shields. When Israel battled with a ground war Hezbollah in Lebanon to a standoff in 2006, the war ended because of pressure to stop collateral damage. Hezbollah, like Hamas, imbed themselves in the civilian centers. “If there is a quiet in the south and no rockets and missiles are fired at Israel’s citizens, no terrorist attacks engineered from the Gaza strip, we will not attack,” said Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon. Hamas’ demands to end its weeklong rocket barrage on Israel are completely untenable. No country that attacks another country for whatever reason can set the conditions to end the conflict. Netanyahu will end IDF offensive operations once Hamas agrees to a ceasefire. No one in Netanyahu’s Cabinet expects Hamas to sign on to past Palestinian agreements that recognizes Israel’s right to exist. Hamas’ can’t accept any comprehensive peace because they’d be forced to cede power to the West Bank-based Palestinian authority. When they seized Gaza by force in June 14, 2007, Hamas started the current Palestinian civil war that prevents any comprehensive peace deal with Israel. U.S. and U.N. officials know that a divided Palestine can’t negotiate for peace. Hamas doesn’t want peace because they’ll become irrelevant to any deal that recognizes Israel’s right to exist. John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma. |
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