Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Gaza War Turns One Year Old
The war in Gaza began a year ago today when hundreds of Hamas fighters crossed into Israel from Gaza by hang gliders, motorbikes and on foot. They killed over 1,200 people and kidnapped another 250 or so. Then, they retreated to Gaza whence they came. In reply, the Israeli Defense Force has spent months reducing Gaza to rubble. In the process, they have killed around 42,000. The Israeli-Lebanese border has also seen activity with Hezbollah firing rockets into Israel, and Iran has thrown a few into the mix as well. So, Israel has sent its troops into Lebanon as well. The assessment here is that no one has achieved anything they really hoped to achieve, and there is no end in sight. Everyone is losing.
For Hamas, their objective of destroying Israel is no closer, and indeed, it may be further away than ever. Their fighters have been killed and their leadership is unable to lead effectively. They have rendered themselves impotent with this attack, and they have no credibility in cease-fire negotiations. If there is ever such an agreement, Hamas will be removed from the political equation in Gaza as part of the deal. It is hard to spin that as a victory.
For the Netanyahu government, there is little to show for a year of war. Israel says 117 captives have been freed. Of that number, 105 gained their freedom in prisoner exchanges back at the start of this unpleasantness. Four of them were freed by Hamas unilaterally. The IDF has rescued 8. If getting them back was a concern, it is clear a diplomatic approach is more effective than violence. Since there seem to be no negotiations worthy of the name, one can deduce that their freedom is not a priority with the Netanyahu government.
Internationally, the Israelis have managed yet again to over play their hands and have thrown away any sympathy they had after the attack. Hamas is loathed far and wide by people who had never heard of it a year ago. Hezbollah is little better off. Iran is facing greater economic sanctions after its engagements with Israel. The US has lost any momentum it may have had in pursuing peace in the region. No victory for anyone.
Meanwhile, the people of Israel and Gaza (and the West Bank and Lebanon and Iran) face an uncertain future full of violence and misery. In one way, they are victims of all this. In another, the responsibility for this disaster belongs to them. The Israelis have been electing governments since the death of Yitzhak Rabin at the hands of a rightist assassin that have undermined any hope of peace. They oppose a two-state solution. In short, the people voted for this.
This is aggravated by PM Netanyahu's legal troubles. He is almost certainly going to jail if he ever goes to trial. So, he seeks a continuation of hostilities regardless of the hostages or the people of Israel. The PM's immunity ends when he is out of office, and he has convinced the voters in Israel that he cannot be replaced during the fighting. Mr. Churchill took over from Mr. Chamberlain during the Battle of France months after the invasion of Poland.
As for the Palestinians, Hamas took over Gaza in 2006, and there has not been an election since (and that election was crooked). During the intervening years, no protests against Hamas occurred nor any direct actions against the organization. At best, they acquiesced to the rule of Hamas. A great many (a majority?) supported them.
The West Bank, ruled by Al Fatah not Hamas, has not been any better. The Palestinian Authority is a corrupt mob of second-rate mafiosi. Their grifting has proved them incapable of governing competently and has disqualified the PA as a negotiating partner.
After a year of killing, nothing positive is being achieved. Nor is there much reason to hope for change. This journal hopes to post something better next year, but it is a long shot.
© Copyright 2024 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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