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Can Gaza Change?
(Israel Hayom) Ariel Kahana - Israel is now cleaning up the terrorist forces that have accumulated in Gaza for three decades. How does one control two million Arabs who have been taught from birth to kill "subhuman Jews," especially in an area whose population has no aspiration for progress, but rather a culture of jihad and murder? First, Hamas must be brought to absolute defeat, not just a "decisive blow." Gazans need to understand that Hamas brought terrible suffering upon them. As long as Hamas does not surrender, there is nothing to talk about regarding the rehabilitation of Gaza. If rehabilitation begins before Hamas disappears, the Gazans' state of mind will have not been seared with their responsibility for the horrors. There is also the question of why rebuild a neighborhood if two minutes later Hamas will take control of it again. After clearing the area from terrorists, there must be a thorough de-Hamasization process. It is vital to implement reforms that uproot both Hamas ideology and other antisemitic and anti-Israeli content. These must be basic preconditions. UNRWA cannot continue operating in Gaza, period. UNRWA has not solved the problem of a single Palestinian refugee and instead educates future generations to kill Jews. Gazans should be educated about tolerance, inclusiveness, and acceptance of the Jew as a normative neighbor. This sounds fanciful, and the murderous demons will not disappear overnight or even in a decade. But if we want life, there is no other way. In an ideal world, it would be better if a foreign rule of any kind, Arab or Western, would clean up the Gazan cesspool, but the chances of this happening are slim. Arab rulers do not want to be seen as helping Israel against the Palestinians. It is therefore likely that the full burden will ultimately fall on Israel's shoulders. Before Israel commits to Palestinian self-rule, it must first make clear in intricate detail how the de-Hamasization process will be carried out. This is a vital condition for Israel's survival.