Full article at https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22582/jihadists-smell-weakness
§ The message emerging from Hamas -- and
Iran -- is unambiguous: Hamas and Iran believe they are winning.
§ Iran has been dictating to Washington
when and with whom it will negotiate. Washington apparently never insisted upon
face-to-face negotiations with Iran. Why not? By discontinuing talks with the
US, Iran also succeeded in maneuvering the Trump Administration into two huge
victories for the current regime. First, as the Wall Street Journal pointed
out in "Iran Gets Trump to Rescue Hezbollah," US President Donald J.
Trump demanded that Israel stop defending itself against attacks from another
proxy of Iran: Hezbollah in Lebanon. Second, Iran -- as a result of a
much-publicized shouting match between Trump and Netanyahu – masterfully
created "daylight" between its two main adversaries: Israel and the
United States.
§ These are not the words of a defeated
terror organization. These are the words of a group that believes time is on
its side.
§ Abu Obeida's remarks are particularly
alarming because they come after nearly three years of war, the elimination of
many top Hamas leaders, and countless declarations by international mediators
that Hamas would eventually be removed from power.
§ Instead, Hamas is still standing.
Hamas, like Iran, appears increasingly confident.
§ The "Board of Peace" was
supposedly created to bring stability to the Gaza Strip, end Hamas rule, and
establish a new political reality after the war.
§ The truth is that the "Board of
Peace" has failed in its central mission.
§ Recent reports that the Trump
Administration pressured Israel to cancel a planned strike against Hezbollah
targets in Beirut's Dahiya district sent a troubling message throughout the
region.
§ For Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, any
indication of friction between the US and Israel is good news. Terrorists
thrive on the perception that their adversaries are divided.
§ Across the Middle East, terrorist
organizations constantly search for signs of weakness among their enemies.
Jihadists interpret "restraint" quite differently from the way
Western policymakers do. What many Western leaders describe as diplomacy,
patience, or de-escalation is frequently seen by Islamists as surrender, fear
or exhaustion.
§ Weakness, hesitation, and public
divisions send exactly the wrong message to Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. Every
appearance of indecision only encourages further aggression and convinces
terrorist leaders that persistence will eventually bring victory.
§
The latest Iranian and Hamas statements are not merely propaganda. They
are a warning. The question is whether decision-makers in Washington are
listening.
