Some are using the death of Yahya Sinwar as a reason for Israel to “take the win” and agree to a ceasefire in Gaza. Gil Troy thinks that would be folly, and that Israel has to continue until Hamas and Hezbollah are sufficiently dismantled as to no longer constitute a threat to Israel for many years to come. More on his views can be found here: “Israel must not end war yet despite Sinwar success – opinion,” by Gil Troy, Jerusalem Post, October 23, 2024:
When Israel’s soldier-heroes killed Yahya Sinwar, President Joe Biden declared: “This is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world.” Vice President Kamala Harris agreed, echoing Biden that “Israel has a right to defend itself, and the threat Hamas poses to Israel must be eliminated.”
Even Thomas Friedman, who has spearheaded The New York Times’ condemnation of Israel’s war and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for supposedly prolonging the campaign for political reasons, acknowledged: “it is impossible to exaggerate the importance of the death of the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.”
Yet somehow, these military geniuses – like most others – failed to add four words: “and I was wrong.”
But they were – and still are….
Indeed, we cannot “end the war in Gaza” until “Israel is secure.” And if the Gazans are truly innocent, they should turn on Hamas and force it to surrender, while freeing the hostages.
Until that happens, Israel must maintain the military pressure, and prepare its security zone along the Gaza border, including taking Gazan territory, so the Palestinians learn that every future attack will result in more territorial losses.
MEANWHILE, let’s end the hostage negotiation farce – by exposing the self-destructiveness of Israel’s Hostage Deal movement. Politicizing the issue keeps raising Hamas’s price to free the hostages.
The movement should only protest – and harass within the limits of the law – Qatari and Turkish diplomats, as well as those in North America, Australia, and Europe. Qatar and Turkey host and bankroll Hamas. Bibi-bashing may feel good – but it’s counterproductive.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Sinwar kept “urging” Hamas officials “to refuse a hostage deal. Hamas had the upper hand in negotiations, Sinwar said, citing internal political divisions within Israel, cracks in Netanyahu’s wartime coalition and mounting US pressure to alleviate the suffering in Gaza.”
A more unified global front against Hamas might have freed the hostages sooner; it remains the only way to end their suffering, which weighs on all people of conscience.
In short, we, who want this war to end yesterday, must keep fighting tomorrow and tomorrow, until the aggressors – Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran – cave in.
Only then, once Israel is secured, will those Palestinians who actually want “dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination” – rather than Israel’s destruction – have a shot at making progress, too.
Israel’s multi-front war must continue until the hostages have been returned and Hamas has been dismantled as a fighting force in Gaza, until Hezbollah’s vast armory, that numbered 150,000 rockets and missiles before October 7, and is now believed to have been reduced by the IDF to 50,000, is reduced still further, to one-tenth that number, and until Iran’s nuclear project has been devastated. Only then should Israel be ready to talk about ending the war.
And the motto that Israel should adopt for this phase of the fourth war for its survival?
That’s easy: Libera Nos A Malo.
Tatanka says
Israel should keep fighting until every misogynistic infidel hating Muslim in the world is exterminated and the free world should join them in their effort.
OLD GUY says
Israel can’t win by walking away from the battlefield.
somehistory says
When a building is set on fire…by accident or arson…the firemen must stay on site, to keep fighting until all of the flames…even the small smoldering ones…are out. Because even a tiny bit, if given oxygen, can grow and engulf what is left of the structure
James Lincoln says
Great analogy, somehistory.
somehistory says
Thank you very much, James.
SC says
Kharg Island next and ‘cum on brandon’ and destroy a few miles of the pipelines as well.
Walter Sieruk says
That is right, meaning those four words of the title of this article, are right on the mark which are “Israel must continue to fight.”
The reason why this is so is because when it comes to those brutal cruel vile heinous malicious and murderous jihadist savages of Hamas it’s “Either kill or be killed.” That also applies to the jihadists of Hezbollah.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister Benjamin was not only right, for he also spoke the sensible thing to do when he declared, “No force in the world will stop us from elimination Hamas.”
So, Hamas needs to be hit long and hard and it should to hit with much military might and. struck great power repeatedly until it’s completely destroyed. As it had been also, rightly said “Half –measures is folly and madness.”
For jihadists of Hamas will not respond to reason or logic , in others words, they cannot and will not be reasoned with. The only language that are able to understand is that of being the receiving end of a power of a great military might. As Thomas Jefferson had ,rightly ,written “With every barbarous people…force is law.”
Even the leftist US President Franklin D. Roosevelt with all liberal socialist had very wisely declared, “No compromise can end that conflict. There never has been—there never can be—successful compromise between good and evil. Only total victory can reward the champions of tolerance, and decency, and freedom, and faith.”
Prime Minister Benjamin had revealed knowledge and wisdom by his statement about the need to about the very important and necessary need to engage in the “Elimination of Hamas.”
Walter Sieruk says
The government authorities and officials of the State of Israel have a duty and responsibility to use sarong military force and continue fighting against Hamas and Hezbollah to ensure the safety security and lives of the people who are citizens of that nation. It’s basic matter of self-defense.
As the fifth President of the United States, James Monroe, rightly and wisely, in a speech had declared, “The right to self-defense never ceases. It is among the most sacred, and alike necessary to nations and to individuals.”
Ray Jarman says
+1 An excellent opine Walter.
gravenimage says
+1
John P says
Peace will only come when the Islamic countries will unconditionally surrender as happened with Germany at the end of WWII. The belligerents needed the type of education that the Western nations did in Germany. Anything less, and there will be another war in 20 years or less!.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I’m glad that the fight has now gone to Iran. While operations in Gaza and Lebanon are necessary, it’s important that Israel take on the center of it all – Iran, so that the latter can no longer devote its attention to its stooges in those areas
After November 6th, Israel is likely to be under pressure from the Biden administration to do nothing, whatever the provocation, and it would need to hope for a Trump win if it were to be able to resume after January 20th. Which is why they need to maximize the damage they can do before November 5th
Ray Jarman says
Oxford Dictionary describes hostage: “a person seized or held as security for the fulfillment of a condition…three hostages were released but only after their families paid an estimated $200,000 to the guerrillas.” In what context can the war criminals and those who committed atrocious acts, especially against non-combatants from three days old to very elderly people of both sexes, be considered as hostages. The vicious enemies of mankind who stormed into the peaceful, most of whom were very liberal believing the lies told by Hamas, villages be considered as hostages.
Why should any nation permit its neighbor that committed such atrocious acts such as Hamas on 9 October 2023 submit to considering those who perpetrated such barbaric acts be exchanged for purely innocent victims. Hamas committed war crimes and fools such as Biden, Trudeau, Macron and other western idiots demand a so-called cease fire when the animals that began the war refuse to acknowledge their guilt and offer itself up and surrender.
Ben says
Israel should give jihadist terror base gaza the same treatment rome gave carthage. That would be fitting response to the oct 7 attacks. If i were in charge of Israel i would have given that order.
gravenimage says
Why Israel Must Continue to Fight
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Yes–Israel has to finish th job to keep her people safe.
Skeptiker says
Religiöser Fanatismus ist wie ein Krebsgeschwür. Nur die komplette Entfernung bringt Heilung.