(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs) Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch - During the last year, Israel has substantially progressed in dismantling Hamas. The goal of freeing the hostages has, however, remained elusive. Of the 250 hostages taken during the massacre, some were released in return for a few days of ceasefire and the release of Palestinian terrorists, some were freed in daring IDF operations, others were murdered in captivity by the terrorists. As of Dec. 15, 2024, the terrorists continued to hold 100 people hostage, of whom an estimated 60 are still alive. The Palestinian terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre and those who are today holding the hostages are not the product of Hamas alone. Rather, they are the product of three decades of Palestinian Authority brainwashing, hatred of Israel, and dehumanization of Israelis. Thus, when discussing the future of Gaza, Israel stressed that the PA would play no further role and would not again be allowed to promulgate its hateful indoctrination of Gazans. If the PA returned to governing Gaza, Israel would be condemning itself to suffer the Oct. 7 massacre, sooner or later, over and over again. While freeing the hostages is, of course, of the utmost importance, the public information about the emerging deal seems to suggest that Hamas will be awarded a substantial prize, with Israel's agreement to cease some of the fighting in Gaza and release hundreds, potentially even thousands, of terrorists, including murderers. The combined effect is that Hamas will continue to play a central governance role and will also be emboldened in Palestinian society as the freer of terrorists. The war with Hamas is not solely kinetic. It is also a war of perception. Israel must take effective control of the distribution of humanitarian aid to the Gazan population and rethink the consequences of providing the Hamas terrorists with the rewards of forcing Israel to release terrorists. The writer, Director of the Palestinian Authority Accountability Initiative at the Jerusalem Center, was director of the Military Prosecution in Judea and Samaria.
2024-12-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive