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Britain, France and Canada's Lifeline to Hamas Is a Dangerous Blunder

(Ynet News) Col. (ret.) Richard Kemp - As Israel aims to deliver the final blow to Hamas, with a masterstroke of ill judgment, Britain, France and Canada reach into murky waters that they do not understand and hold out a hand to pull Hamas back to the surface. Their joint statement demanding Israel halt its operations in Gaza is nothing less than a call for Israel to surrender. They call the IDF's renewed offensive "disproportionate." It is nothing of the kind. Israel is fighting a defensive war to protect its population from further attacks. That requires the destruction of Hamas's military capabilities and the removal of it and its kind from controlling terrain that would again threaten Israel if given half a chance. The Allies in the Second World War used overwhelming force to destroy Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Was this a "disproportionate" way to defend our freedom? Or is it only the Jewish state that can never be allowed to win? The statement warns that Israel is at risk of breaching International Humanitarian Law by blocking aid from entering Gaza. It does not. The obligation under the 4th Geneva Convention to allow aid to the enemy civilian population is explicitly exempted if there is a risk that the aid will be diverted to enemy fighting forces. This joint statement is extremely dangerous. It strengthens Hamas, giving them hope. It could lead to them digging in their heels to inflict even greater bloodshed on Israeli soldiers as well as their own people. If these Western leaders actually wanted to make a real contribution to peace in the region, they would have told Hamas to release the hostages and lay down their arms. The writer, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, was chairman of the UK's national crisis management committee, COBRA.
2025-05-22 00:00:00
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