If Israel can finish the warfare in Gaza, it may possibly result in a U.S.-mediated deal with Hezbollah to quiet the northern border warfare — which has been horrible for civilians on either side. It may allow Israelis and Lebanese alongside their nations’ border to return residence whereas enabling the Israeli Military to recuperate and restock from a draining combat. It may halt the erosion in each Israel’s financial system and its world ethical standing and let the nation do one thing it ought to have completed on Oct. 8. That’s: pause, rethink, strategize and never do precisely what Iran and Hamas needed it to do — i.e., cost head similar to America did after Sept. 11, 2001 — and sink into an limitless warfare with none plan or associate for the morning after. And, as Barak argued, Israel should then maintain new elections.
Sure, sure, I can hear the criticism from the warfare hawks proper now: “Friedman, you’ll let Hamas’s chief, Yahya Sinwar, come out of his tunnel and declare victory?”
Sure, I’d. In reality, I want I might be on the information convention in Gaza when he does, so I may ask the primary query:
“Mr. Sinwar, you declare this can be a nice victory for Hamas — a complete Israeli withdrawal and a secure cease-fire. I simply need to know: What existed on Oct. 6 between you and Israel, earlier than your shock assault? Oh, let me reply that: a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a secure cease-fire. In the event you don’t thoughts, I’d like to stay round for just a few days to look at you clarify to Gazans the way you began an eight-month warfare — inflicting the destruction of roughly 70 p.c of Gaza’s housing inventory and leaving, by your depend, some 37,000 Gazans lifeless, lots of them ladies and youngsters — so you could possibly get Gaza again to precisely the place it was on Oct. 6, in a cease-fire with Israel and no Israeli troops right here. One other Hamas victory like this and Gaza shall be completely unlivable.”
And to Israelis who would ask, “Friedman, are you loopy, you’ll let Sinwar run Gaza once more?” my reply would once more be — sure, for now. The alternate options — Israel operating Gaza or Gaza changing into one other Somalia — are far worse. Netanyahu’s concept that some good Palestinians — who’re neither members of Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority — will run the place for Israel is a fantasy.
The one individuals who can defeat Hamas are the Palestinians of Gaza. They, too, want higher management, and in the event that they discover it, we should always assist them rebuild. However till then, Israel could be loopy to need to keep in Gaza and be answerable for its reconstruction. That honor ought to go to Sinwar.
