When I first heard of the recent peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, I was appalled. The latter was to release a few dozen hostages and several dead bodies, whereas the former would free almost 2000 hardened, fanatical terrorist prisoners, many of who were guilty of outright murder. What a horrid deal. Surely, amongst these Palestinians would be a successor to Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the infamous atrocity of October 7, 2023. Do we really want 2000 Sinwars running around free? Thought not.
That Israel would receive its hostages, finally, was all to the good. But this would be at the cost of hundreds, maybe thousands, of future Israeli hostages. The Jewish state may have won this war, but as is all too frequently the case, it would lose the peace.
But then another thought occurred to me. Israel is a first-world country. Hamas consists of a rag-tag bunch of hoodlums. Another thousand or two of them? The IDF could easily deal with them with the back of its hand. According to some analysts, this army is the fourth best and most powerful in the entire world. But one of the supposed top three couldn't dispatch Ukraine in several years. Another is replete with DEI and hasn't won a war since 1945 (sorry, Grenada just does not count.) Under Donald Trump, this is in the process of changing, but that is a fair assessment of this military under Obama and Biden.
Why, then, after about 15 months, couldn't this army completely obliterate Hamas, along with Hezbollah, Houthis, and their patron, Iran? There are several reasons. One, Biden exerted a powerful force on the IDF, continually compelling them to fight not with one hand behind their backs but with almost two. Second, they held Israeli hostages. Third, they used their people as shields, placing armament rocket launchers in schools, hospitals, and residential areas. Unlike other militaries, the IDF has compunctions about killing such people. They first employ leaflets!
Well, neither of these conditions now apply, or, at least, will soon disappear. An additional 2,000 or so Palestinian fighters will be of virtually no account.
What, then, was or will have been gained by this ceasefire deal? First, the gratefulness of Donald Trump. He has a long history of treating his friends well. This is a not unimportant consideration. He bragged that he would bring about an almost immediate cessation of the Middle East fighting, and, thanks to the cooperation of Bibi Netanyahu, it did indeed come to pass. (Biden tried to take credit for this situation, but this was dismissed as laughable by anyone with an IQ above room temperature).
Second, Iran. Yes, that country is far more of a threat to the safety and even survivability of the only civilized country in the Middle East than any other group at present. The way ahead is now clear. To entirely eliminate the nuclear capability of Persia must be placed at the very top of the Israeli to-do list. Certainly, with the help of the US, that task can easily be undertaken. Even without such aid, this will be a piece of cake – as long as the US no longer runs interference for the enemies of Israel, as was done by previous Democratic Administrations. Iran will soon rue the day that it unleashed its proxies against Israel. It will no longer be as happy a camper as it once was when its nuclear capabilities are annihilated.
Only in the fullness of time will we learn if this was a good deal for Israel, but at least, here, there are some grounds for hope.
As part of his plan, the President of the United States has proposed to relocate all of the Palestinians from Gaza. This is a program near and dear to the hearts of Israeli leaders such as Itamar Ben-Gvir (the former Minister of National Security who resigned in protest at this prisoner exchange) and Bezalel Yoel Smotrich (who serves as Minister of Finance). This is an initiative that even they, presumably, could only hope for. Both have been dismissed as "far right" Knesset members. I see them, instead, as fervent patriots with strong backbones.
As of the present date, this is only a thought. But if this is accomplished even partially, it will add serious weight to the case on behalf of this being a good deal for Israel, despite my initial misgivings.
If there is one thing that the Knesset has learned, or should have learned, from the recent imbroglio is the importance of having a domestic munitions industry. In that way, it will no longer be dependent upon fair weather friends such as preceded Mr. Trump. Alas, he will not be around forever. Even no hee has numerous domestic enemies baying at his heels. Who knows what the next US administration will be like? Congressional votes will occur in less than two years. Israel must make it one of its highest priorities to never again be so dependent upon others for military success.
