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Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22582/jihadists-smell-weakness
What Happens When Jihadists Smell Weakness
(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - Nearly three years after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in Israel, Hamas leaders are once again issuing threats, glorifying jihad (holy war), and promising more violence. Their statements should serve as a wake-up call not only for Israel, but also for Washington and the wider West. Hamas and Iran believe they are winning. Last week, Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas's military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, declared that "the bill will remain open until the [Israeli] enemy pays it." Israel "has not achieved anything by assassinating [Hamas] leaders" and insisted that Hamas has produced "a generation of leaders who will continue the path of those who came before them." These are the words of a group that believes time is on its side. Hamas leaders see the U.S. conducting endless negotiations with Iran's regime. They see Iran continuing to arm and finance its terrorist proxies across the Middle East. They see Hizbullah in Lebanon continuing its attacks on Israel. Jihadist organizations are constantly searching for signs of weakness among their enemies. They interpret restraint differently from the way Western policymakers do. What many Western leaders describe as diplomacy, patience, or de-escalation is frequently interpreted by Islamists as surrender, fear, or exhaustion. The Oct. 7 massacre was partly the result of Hamas's belief that Israel had become weak, divided, and vulnerable. Western policymakers, especially Americans, tend to seek quick solutions. Defeating radical Islamist movements requires strategic patience, consistency, and a willingness to sustain pressure. Hamas, Hizbullah, and their patrons in Iran view conflict in terms of generations. Every appearance of indecision only encourages further aggression, and convinces terrorist leaders that persistence will eventually bring victory.