Political AND Military Resolution To Arab-Israeli Conflict

In the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 massacre in Israel and Israel’s response, a number of politicians have opined that there should be a ceasefire and allow a political solution to bear fruit. It is a naive and dangerous suggestion, as are calls to flatten Gaza. The situation requires both a military and a political dynamic, in that order.

The Palestinian-Israel Conflict has two dimensions: a radical jihadi ideology that seeks the destruction of Israel, and a territorial component which parties better understand. The first poisonous jihadi threat must be extinguished and the second matter crafted with care.

Hamas is not only a terrorist group which just carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. It is a genocidal antisemitic group which has broad popular support among Palestinians, especially in Gaza. That threat must be destroyed and the evil ideology erased for there to be any hope for calm in the region.

Hamas’s foundational charter is an antisemitic screed calling for the death of Jews and end to the Jewish State. Palestinian Arabs elected Hamas to 58% of the parliament in 2006 with this charter and Palestinians would elect the leader of Hamas to the presidency in latest polls. An estimated 70% of Gazans support killing Jewish civilians inside of Israel in a June 2023 poll.

The United Nations Security Council understands such evil ideology as it voted “unequivocally” to condemn ISIS for a similar violent orientation. On November 20, 2015, the UNSC press stated:

The Security Council determined today that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Sham (ISIL/ISIS) constituted an “unprecedented” threat to international peace and security, calling upon Member States with the requisite capacity to take “all necessary measures” to prevent and suppress its terrorist acts on territory under its control in Syria and Iraq.

Unanimously adopting resolution 2249 (2015), the Council unequivocally condemned the terrorist attacks perpetrated by ISIL — also known as Da’esh — on 26 June in Sousse, on 10 October in Ankara, on 31 October over the Sinaï Peninsula, on 12 November in Beirut and on 13 November in Paris, among others. It expressed its deepest condolences to the victims and their families, as well as to the people and Governments of Tunisia, Turkey, Russian Federation, Lebanon and France.

The 15-member body condemned in the strongest terms ISIL’s gross, systematic and widespread abuses of human rights, as well as its destruction and looting of cultural heritage. Those who committed, or were otherwise responsible for, terrorist acts or human rights violations must be held accountable. By other terms, the Council urged Member States to intensify their efforts to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters into Iraq and Syria, and to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism.

Following the vote, nearly all Council members took the floor to decry the “barbaric” attacks and hateful world view espoused by ISIL, reaffirming their support in both stemming the threat and bringing perpetrators to justice. In an echo of the sentiments voiced by many around the table Spain’s representative declared: “Today, we are all French, Russian, Malian and Arab,” adding: “It is time to act with a French, Russian, Malian and Arab heart.” The Council had a duty to guarantee the values and principles of the United Nations, and all must close ranks to vanquish terrorism, he stressed.

France’s representative, recalling that Da’esh had perpetrated an act of war against his country on 13 November, said today’s vote signaled recognition of the threat’s exceptional nature. The fight against terrorism could only be effective if combined with a political transition that would eliminate Da’esh, he said, adding that France had obtained activation of the European Union’s mutual solidarity clause.

The Russian Federation’s representative said today’s unanimous vote was a step towards the creation of a broad anti-terrorism front aimed at eradicating root causes. That also had been the aim of a Russian draft presented to the Council on 30 September, he said, describing attempts by some to block his delegation’s efforts as politically short-sighted.

The course of action against Hamas should be the same as taken with ISIL:

decry the “barbaric” attacks and hateful world view
bringing perpetrators to justice / Those who committed, or were otherwise responsible for, terrorist acts or human rights violations must be held accountable
take “all necessary measures” to prevent and suppress its terrorist acts
intensify their efforts to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters
prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism
all must close ranks to vanquish terrorism

Hamas must be destroyed militarily and financially with global support.

Afterwards, the transition to a civil society must include a political component, as noted “The fight against terrorism could only be effective if combined with a political transition that would eliminate Da’esh [Hamas].” Key factors must be present in a new governing entity:

no military capabilities
no intention to destroy Israel
not virulently antisemitic

The last item – of not being antisemitic – is wishful thinking. Palestinians are the most antisemitic in the world according to polls. Regarding stripping military capabilities, that is essential as the amount of Palestinian terrorism with limited capabilities is already terrifying. Think post-WWII Japan.

In regards to a goal of coexisting with the Jewish State, that will require the world – the United Nations and Saudi Arabia in particular – to clearly state that there is no “right of return” for Palestinian Arabs to move to Israel. A two state solution means Palestinian refugees move to a new Palestinian state, not the Jewish state.

If there is a chance for “from the river to the sea, people will live with security,” a decisive military destruction of Hamas as an organization must be followed with bringing a vision of coexistence instead of bloodshed. To get there, the world must unequivocally support Israel in its destruction of Hamas and thereafter, a weapons-free Arab state which will be home to the descendants of Palestine refugees.