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Stop the Negotiations
The negotiations between Israel and Gaza are an unmitigated disaster. But no one wants to admit it. Although of all the parties, Hamas has gotten the closest to saying the truth, stating the efforts are a “waste of time.” Whether in the next few weeks or in the year ahead, these efforts are doomed. Israel is trying to execute the war under the weight of U.S. demands, and Hamas is sitting back, watching the whole charade and knowing that it will collapse. Below is a link to a stunning video from Paul Stinchfield, who was present at this speech at the U.N. that describes the basis of this disaster.
https://x.com/HillelNeuer/status/1825887221150326815
How did we get to this point?
To begin, the U.S. should have minded its own business. Throughout the conflict, our country is certain that it knows the best way to carry out this war, and they have been proven wrong many times. As examples, they blamed Israel for not letting humanitarian aid through, ignoring that Hamas has stolen shipments for their own people. The U.S. stated that the Israelis would require weeks to move the Palestinians out of Khan Younis, when the Israelis completed the job in a fraction of the time. The U.S. also has conflicting goals, since they are probably more concerned with the November elections and having a “win” in the Middle East than they are with the Israelis being successful. And the U.S. has no right to make demands on how Israel should conduct the war; Israel is an independent country.
Meanwhile, the war drags on because there are no terms that will satisfy both sides. (You can read this article if you want the details of the May agreement.) These are the key differences:
- Hamas essentially wants a permanent ceasefire; Israel will not agree, since they cannot trust Hamas to stop attacking Israel and Israelis. In addition, a permanent cease-fire would signal to all those entities sympathetic to Hamas that they have beaten Israel. Let’s not forget that Senior Hamas Official, Gazi Hamad said the following:
‘Israel is a country that has no place on our land. We must remove that country, because it constitutes a security, military, and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation, and must be finished. We are not ashamed to say this, with full force…. The Al-Aqsa Flood [the name Hamas uses to describe its attack on Israel] is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth…’
- Israel wants all the hostages to be released at once. Hamas disagrees, since they prefer to release them in stages to give them leverage. Meanwhile, hostages are dying in captivity; some of the deaths have been verified. Forces inside Israel who hate Netanyahu are insisting that the families of hostages demand a complete cease fire and release of all the hostages, even though this agreement would not be acceptable to either side.
- The negotiators were a bizarre selection: Qatar is an ally of Hamas and can’t be an effective arbiter; Egypt allowed Hamas for years to transport weapons through tunnels into Gaza. Israel wants to maintain control of the Philadelphi corridor where over 50 tunnels have been built; Hamas wants the corridor back.
- Hamas demanded an exorbitant number of prisoners be released from Israeli jails; although they modified this number, they have insisted on the release of some of the most dangerous criminals. It’s important to remember that Sinwar, now head of the political side of Hamas, was imprisoned in Israel years ago and was released in a swap, only to become the creator of the October 7 debacle.
- Israel must be given the weapons they need to bring this war to an end. Although there have been assurances that weapons have been ordered, it’s unclear whether those weapons have actually been delivered to Israel.
- There is one issue where Hamas and Israel agree: neither wants an independent Palestinian state.
There are other conditions that make reaching an agreement nearly impossible. Hamas will not reject its original mission to destroy the Jewish state. The U.S. must take steps to stop Iran’s involvement. They must make Iran pay dearly, by bombing oil wells and stopping the sending of funds, to discourage Iran from supplying their proxies. The U.S. persists in threatening Israel with negative consequences, but it refuses to hold Hamas accountable for its actions. For example, Hamas carried out a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv recently:
The backpack of explosives went off early, killing only the bomber, but the blast could have inflicted mass casualties at a nearby synagogue or soccer stadium. This was Hamas’s response to Mr. Biden’s offer.
Hamas vowed Monday to carry out more suicide bombings, as it did throughout the 1990s—the last time it was trying to kill a peace deal—and the early 2000s. Mr. Biden’s answer is more talks. With or without Hamas, negotiators will soon be off to Cairo for another round.
The U.S. refuses to see that this negotiation is doomed to failure. The Left, in particular, believes as long as they just keep talking, there’s hope for a resolution. Joe Biden has given mixed signals about supporting Israel, and Kamala Harris didn’t appear for Netanyahu’s speech to Congress when he spoke to that body. Then there was this most recent comment:
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that the latest Cairo summit is ‘probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a cease-fire, and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security.’ How many times can the Administration say this without embarrassment?
Stop the negotiations.
Published in Foreign Policy
You could write a parallel article by substituting Russia for Hamas and Ukraine for Israel. There would still be a few details to edit, and the situation in Israel may be on a faster track to a horrible end than the one in Ukraine, but the general idea is much the same.
One thing that would help all around would be for Blinken to resign in disgrace.
“To begin, the U.S. should have minded its own business.”
Seems like an evergreen observation.
Agree with your comparison. And especially like your suggestion…
Would “minding our own business” include not selling them weapons?
Are we selling the weapons or giving them away?
Pretty sure with Israel it’s selling. Giving is more for Ukraine.
Although for “minding our own business” I don’t see how it matters.
I saw a little-noted news item earlier this week in which it was reported that Blinken was on his way to Tel Aviv. I thought, “Of course. He wants Harris to be able to make a big announcement that she has brokered some type of withdrawal of Israel from Gaza, leaving the hostages behind, of course.” This election is that close. That 5 percent of their normal Democratic Party voters staying “uncommitted” and sitting out the election would be enough to throw it to the Republicans. The race is so close that the Democrats have been running lawsuits in several states trying to get RFK, Jr., off the ballot. They cannot afford to lose the tiniest sliver of their usual vote this year. It’s why they forced Biden out.
They’re also an ally, ke. I just don’t want the U.S. meddling in Israel’s business.
Depending on how you look at the numbers, it may be impossible for them to win anyway. It’s been said for quite a while that if they don’t get at least 90-95% of the black vote, they lose. And while black women are likely to vote that much D regardless – and probably would even if David Duke was the nominee – a lot of black men have moved to Trump. So he could get 20% or even more, and that would mean the Dims lose.
Except for cheating, of course.
Aid always comes with strings attatched.
I support Israel finnishing off Hamas. However Harris /Progs do not. Isreal has to plan on the event of another stolen election so they have to make some efort to play ball with this regime.
Again, I tend toward the simplistic in my thinking, but I never understood why anyone even thought starting “ceasefire” negotiations was a good idea. Hamas has repeatedly demonstrated that they will not honor any “ceasefire” (most vividly doing so on October 7, 2023). The Hamas strategy certainly has the appearance of maximizing civilian death and suffering (Israeli and Palestinian Arab alike).
How did anyone at any time think a “ceasefire” would help anyone?
Biden has an inflated idea of his own competence. Or his handlers do. And Blinken does, too. And Biden believes Israel will feel beholden to the U.S. Plus he wants a win before the election. Too bad.
I too am simplistic. Every sentence uttered by the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and Israel should be this one: Release the hostages.
No, Marci, simplistic is to oversimplify. You and I like to see issues on simple terms. Not the same.
The U.S. should just shut up, give/sell Israel the weapons it needs and let them deal/wipe out Hamas as it needs to do for it’s security. It makes no sense to try negotiating with an outfit whose sole goal it to kill you.
I completely agree, Jim. It’s a ridiculous and dangerous situation.
That goal of utterly destroying Israel is part of Hamas’ founding charter, a fundamental statement of its basic raison d’etre, so it boggles the rational mind that some (Blinken et al) people think there can be some sort of negotiated settlement that leaves Hamas to fight another day. Not just no, but he]] no!
Clearly their motives are not rational, nor are they helpful. They are extremely self-serving and serve Hamas, but are not practical for Israel.
They never should have started. You can’t negotiate with people who want your destruction . . .
“Lasting peace” means that Jews make concessions, Arabs lie about eschewing future violence until they feel like resuming violence. This is the “lasting peace” after each war and after Yassir Arafat got cash for bogus promises.
There is no moral high ground for keeping the hostages. No reason for concessions other than the fact that thugs are threatening their lives. If the hostages are no longer alive, there is no reason not to flatten every location where Hamas is hiding out. Those who perpetrated Oct 7 and then embedded themselves in residential areas do not have standing to complain about civilian casualties and collateral damage.
In a sane world, Blinken would be telling his friends in the Gazan tunnels that the choice is (a) get killed by the Israelis because you are evil and stupid enough to deserve it or (b) surrender in exchange for an internationally supervised promise of imprisonment rather than a bullet and (c) there is a short clock on choosing option (b) and it’s running.
I like your response so very much, OB. I haven’t said this, but as horrible as it would be, I think the Israelis need to proceed as if all the hostages are dead. I don’t know that they need to say that, but that’s how they must fight. I have mixed feelings about Israel “acting like” they are negotiating, but that’s up to them.
Hear, hear, hear. Had we done so, the matter would have been settled by now.
The timing of the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal was paced by a speech Biden wanted to give on 9/11, so there is precedent for this administration making major military and foreign policy decisions based on domestic political optics.
@susanquinn, @kedavis, @DavidFoster, @doctorrobert, @fritz, @oldbathos, @asquaredtad, @marcin,
The only way long-term peace will be achieved in the ME will be through the complete destruction of Hamas, Hizbollah, and the crippling of Iran’s ability to make trouble.
You know, the now quaint concept of decisive victory.
And people probably think we’re nuts when we say that, but you’re absolutely right. Israel has no other choice. Thanks, Mike.
I wasn’t there; I merely found the video on the net.
Sorry–I thought your PM said you were sitting right behind them.
I just re-read my PM: That text was me quoting from the item I linked to, so you would have a clue to its contents before following the link. I carelessly failed to put that text in quotes. Sorry!