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Biden's "Peace Now" Plan

(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Dr. Dan Diker - On May 31, President Joe Biden laid out his vision to end the Hamas-Israel war. However, its message emboldens Hamas, Hizbullah, and Iran, and serves to weaken Israel. The U.S. position appears to back Hamas's ultimate control in Gaza while leaving Israelis vulnerable to more extensive and more lethal assaults. Biden's approach echoes Israel's failed "Peace Now" movement that led to the fatal Oslo experiment that exploded on Oct. 7 and served as the catalyst for hostilities from Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran. Over the course of the Hamas war, the Biden administration has repeatedly admonished Israel over its retaliation ("take the win"), the use of precision munitions, the attack on Rafah, and civilian casualties based on Hamas's exaggerated figures. Biden's even-handed treatment of Hamas and Israel engenders a moral equivalence between a jihadist organization and a democratic ally. Biden laid out his grand vision for peace as if the two sides in the Gaza war are playing by the same rules. The American administration suggests negotiations with an ISIS-like terror organization. The first phase of the plan calls for the trade only of some live hostages and some dead hostages' remains in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners. "Egypt and Qatar have assured me," the president said, "that they are continuing to work to ensure that Hamas [is held] accountable for its obligations. The United States will help ensure that Israel lives up to its obligations as well." Qatar is Hamas. The sheikhdom supports the jihadi Muslim Brotherhood, funds Hamas terrorism, and is home to Hamas's political leadership. Qatar is behind the Islamist propaganda war against Israel and the West via its global media conglomerate, Al Jazeera. The call for an immediate ceasefire will only reassure Hamas of its eternal life and grant it legitimacy to extend the ceasefire for months or years while it rearms and reasserts power. With 2/3 of Hamas fighters and leaders still active, how would the plan end Hamas's rule? The U.S. administration plan puts more pressure on Israel than on Hamas. Israel is under the unrelenting hyper-scrutiny of the international community, while Hamas remains uncommitted to any rules-based order. This leaves Hamas to do as it chooses while tying Israel's hands in the international legal and diplomatic community. By applying public pressure on Israel, the plan conveys the message to the Middle East that America is reining in Israel. Arab interlocutors have told me that without the clear defeat of Hamas and Israeli control in Gaza, no viable "day after" alternative is possible. What Arab state would participate in a "day after" plan while Hamas is still in the driver's seat? The majority of Israelis understand that defeating Hamas as a military and political power is an unconditional requirement for guaranteeing Israel's survival in the Middle East. The writer is President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
2024-06-04 00:00:00
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