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Will Hamas Be Allowed to Win the War?

(Gatestone Institute) Alan M. Dershowitz - What will happen if Hamas is allowed to win this war? Hamas will be encouraged to repeat its barbarisms of Oct. 7, not only in Israel but in other Western nations. If a crime pays, it will be repeated. That is one reason why we punish crimes. President Joe Biden has correctly warned that if Putin is allowed to benefit from his attack on Ukraine, he will be encouraged to attack other nations. Why hasn't he said the same thing about Hamas? The world will be a far less safe place if Israel is prevented from defeating Hamas and dismantling its military capabilities. American policy should be to help Israel defeat Hamas and prevent the recurrence and spread of its terrorism against civilians, rather than to help Hamas secure a victory by tying Israel's hands. The tragic reality is that Hamas is winning the war - by its own definition of winning. It has turned world opinion against Israel, especially among the young. It has caused a rupture in Israel's relations with America. It has gotten the International Court of Justice and the UN involved. It has damaged the prospects of peace with Saudi Arabia. It has hurt relationships between Israel and its neighbors. And it has strengthened support for Hamas among Palestinians in the West Bank. Unless the Biden administration changes course and encourages Israel to achieve its legitimate military goal of defeating Hamas, terrorism will win and civilization will lose. The writer is Professor of Law, Emeritus at Harvard Law School.
2024-02-18 00:00:00
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