They murdered entire families, raped women in front of their dead friends, cut the heads off children. They pursued the unarmed and screaming just for the joy of slaughter. They would do it to every Jew they could capture — all of them if they could. They have told us this. They want there to be no doubts. This is the crucial section of Hamas’ 1988 Covenant, its central philosophical belief:
“Moreover, if the links have been distant from each other and if obstacles, placed by those who are the lackeys of Zionism in the way of the fighters obstructed the continuation of the struggle, the Islamic Resistance Movement aspires to the realization of Allah’s promise, no matter how long that should take. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said:
“The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say TO Muslims, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.”
Their videos from the attack on Israel demonstrate the commitment expressed in these paragraphs. Hamas means to murder Jews. Its goal is extermination.
Israel must fight or die. Israelis know that Netanyahu’s government of racist right-wing fanatics has betrayed them in so many ways, and the nation will deal with him later, but for now, there is no other choice. Fight or die.
Half of all residents of Gaza are under 18. When Israel invades Gaza, many children may die. Innocents, people who have nothing to do with Hamas, will die. Hamas embeds itself in the civilian population so as to use them as shields and so as to use their deaths to create sympathy for its genocidal cause.
How does one begin to untangle all the moral strands of this dilemma: Hamas must be destroyed. Innocent people will die as its destruction is sought. Children will die. No matter how carefully Israel proceeds in its offensive, innocent people will die.
I have read no proposal by anyone that has been able to solve this dilemma. Some nations and civic and student organizations are calling for an immediate cease-fire and the release of hostages. Hamas will not release the hostages. Hamas and Iran and Hezbollah will see an Israeli agreement to a ceasefire as a weakness to be exploited by further attacks.
Conversely, an all-out Grozny-style assault* will make Israel a pariah among nations, justifiably so.
There may be a way out.
Let the UN propose that Hamas release all its hostages and give up for arrest its top leadership and the men responsible for the slaughter of Israeli men, women and children. Let them be tried in the Hague, not in Israel. Then guarantee an Arab paid reconstruction of Gaza and the creation of democratic institutions for Palestinian self-governance.
Are you laughing? Smiling cynically? Do you really think any proclamations of universal peace or any proposal as unreal as this one is possible?
Men and women of goodwill, American, Israeli and Palestinian, are working as I write this to contain this conflict and scale down its cost in blood, but war is coming. Thousands more may well die.
Once more, it feels like the jaws of history are closing. Fight or die. Do you see any other way?
