(Telegraph-UK) Col. (ret.) Richard Kemp - Hamas' agreement on Monday to a ceasefire deal that was never on the table was yet another ruse to buy time and build international pressure to halt a major IDF operation in Rafah. An IDF move into the terrorists' final stronghold in Rafah has been delayed far too long - the result of months of fruitless negotiations over release of hostages. Yet Israel had little option other than to play along while even the smallest glimmer of hope existed. The delay was also brought about by pressure from the U.S. and other Israeli allies. Israel is going to have to deal with Hamas by an offensive in Rafah if it is to achieve its goal of dismantling the terrorist threat to its citizens. Israel must push on with its plans and not buckle to international pressure, no matter how great. Failure to do so would amount to nothing less than strategic defeat. The writer, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, was chairman of the UK's national crisis management committee, COBRA.
2024-05-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive