Thanks to Ruthie Blum full article at https://tinyurl.com/5n8bndke
In a press conference on Thursday
in Cairo, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated his opposition to
an Israeli ground operation in Rafah, saying that such a move would be a
“mistake.”
An
invasion into the southern Gaza city, he stated, was “unnecessary” to achieving
the goal of defeating Hamas. This attitude, which the Biden administration has
been expressing with increasing fervor, runs counter to Israeli assessments.
It
has become the key bone of contention between Washington and Jerusalem since
the start of the Oct. 7 war, spurred by a massacre of Jews that hadn’t been
seen since the Holocaust.
Other
disagreements—surrounding the use of Israeli force, civilian Palestinian
casualties and plans for “the day after”—have been mild in comparison. Or at
least they’ve been treated by Israel as arguments that can be addressed through
a presentation of the facts.
This
hasn’t been simply a tactical ploy to avert discord. On the contrary, the
justice of destroying the genocidal terrorist organization that controls
territory along Israel’s southern border and vows to repeat the atrocities of
Oct. 7 “again and again and again” is irrefutable.
Anyone
disputing Israel’s duty to eradicate Hamas—for the survival of the Jewish
state, as well as for the benefit of the region and the world—is on the wrong
side of history. Period.
Furthermore,
Israel has the data to support the extreme measures it employs to avoid
non-combatant deaths in Gaza. It has proof of the huge quantities of
humanitarian aid entering the Strip. It also has evidence of its efforts to
prevent Hamas from stealing the goods.
Blinken
is fully aware of the above. He is equally cognizant that the war would end in
an instant if Hamas surrendered unconditionally and released the remaining 134
hostages, among them U.S. citizens, held in its sadistic, sexually abusive
captivity.
But
since the only pressure Hamas understands is that exerted by Israel Defense
Forces bombs and troops, America’s top diplomat has no recourse but to powwow
with Qatar and Egypt. The former has close ties with Iran and provides refuge
for “exiled” Hamas bigwigs.
The
latter shares a border with Gaza. Though porous enough to have enabled the flow
of materials for the construction of hundreds of miles of Hamas terror tunnels,
it has been totally impenetrable for Gaza residents who wish to leave.
Has
Blinken raised these issues during his shuttle diplomacy excursions to the
Middle East to “mediate” a deal for the release of the hostages that involves a
halt in the fighting? Of course not.
No,
“as a Jew,” he’s been too busy warning Israel about the “humanitarian crisis”
in Gaza and pushing for a “sustained” ceasefire. Apparently the White House believes
think that it’s possible to win this war without killing any more terrorists or
the human shields behind whom they hide. Talk about music to Hamas chief Yahya
Sinwar’s ears. No wonder his ultimate demand is for a full IDF withdrawal from
Gaza and continued Hamas reign in the enclave. He doesn’t want to agree to a
temporary ceasefire in exchange for hostages.
His
having done so in November was due to two factors. One was IDF might. The other
was the assumption that Israel wouldn’t have the wherewithal or legitimacy to
resume fighting. He was right about the first and wrong about the second.
Today, however, thanks to U.S. admonitions about Rafah, Sinwar has cause to up
any ante on offer.
It’s
not clear, then, what Blinken meant by announcing in Saudi Arabia on
Wednesday and in Egypt the following day that the “gaps are narrowing” in the
negotiations. Perhaps he can explain how he reached that baseless conclusion
when he meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday in Israel.
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