Two Jews Argue About Hamas
Why the Middle East conflict will soon escalate into cataclysm
A.: Do you think Hamas attacked hoping Israel would retaliate by invading Gaza?
B.: Yes.
A.: Do you think Israel will now do exactly that?
B.: Yes.
A.: Do you think that Israel, by doing exactly that, is doing Hamas’ bidding?
B.: Doesn’t matter.
A.: Why?
B.: Hamas must be utterly destroyed!
A.: How will Israel do that?
B.: Israel will go street to street, building to building, floor to floor, room to room, tunnel to tunnel, and kill each and every Hamas terrorist.
A.: Will that take time?
B.: Yes.
A.: Will that take thousands of Israeli troops?
B.: Yes.
A.: Will many Israeli troops perish?
B.: Yes.
A.: Will thousands of Israeli troops get bogged down?
B.: Likely so.
A.: Does Israel run the risk of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank opening up multiple fronts?
B.: Yes, but Israel has no choice.
A.: Does Israel run the risk of escalating this conflict into a war with Iran?
B.: Bring it, Israel has no choice.
A.: Will conditions in Gaza further deteriorate?
B.: Yes.
A.: Will tens of thousands more Palestinians die?
B.: Yes.
A.: Will global public opinion shift from sympathy for Israel to Palestine?
B.: Yes, but it doesn’t matter.
A.: Will the Saudi/Israeli security deal, very close to being signed, be indefinitely postponed?
B.: It’s already been tabled for now.
A.: So in summary, Israel has no choice but to invade Gaza with the intent of killing every member of Hamas.
B.: Yes.
A.: But also knowing that Hamas intended them to invade, with the secondary goals of shifting global public opinion against Israel, and making Israel vulnerable to a multifront and even multicountry war, while already derailing peace negotations with the rest of the Arab world.
B.: Yes.
A.: Do you think that, given what we’ve just summarized, the result will be net-negative for Israel?
B.: Hamas must be destroyed!
A.: Let’s say that Hamas is actually destroyed, at least physically in Gaza. What next?
B.: Doesn’t matter, we are at war, and Hamas must be destroyed!
A.: Do you think the Palestinians will be more or less sympathetic to Israel after the invasion levels most of Gaza, and kills tens of thousands more Palestinians?
B.: Doesn’t matter, we are at war, and Hamas must be destroyed!
A.: So, after Hamas is somehow eradicated in Gaza, what do you think the Palestinians will want next?
B.: Doesn’t matter what the Palestinians want, we must protect Israel’s security.
A.: How will Israel’s security be protected if none of the underlying factors that led to Hamas, sustained and empowered Hamas, and eventually resulted in the horrific attack by Hamas, are addressed?
B.: Hamas must be destroyed!
A.: And be replaced by…?
B.: Doesn’t matter.
A.: Even if the result of an invasion of Gaza will unleash all the implications you agree might and likely will happen?
B.: Israel will be safer after Hamas is destroyed!
A.: Who will run Gaza?
B.: Doesn’t matter right now.
A.: Might Hezbollah attack from the north?
B.: We will defeat them, too!
A.: Might the Palestinian Authority attack in the West Bank?
B.: We will defeat them as well!
A.: Iran might declare war.
B.: America will come to our aid.
A.: So basically you’re saying that only a military solution — even if multifront/multicountry — is possible, especially given that a diplomatic solution is impossible?
B.: Israel will never negotiate with terrorists, or try to make peace with those set out to destroy us.
A.: So war is inevitable and never-ending?
B.: Until we destroy all our enemies who want to destroy us, yes.
A.: Do you think Israel could respond another way?
B.: What way?
A.: Instead of invading Gaza, Israel could: 1) Strengthen its borders and internal security; 2) Conduct pinpoint attacks on high value confirmed Hamas targets; 3) Fix its internal political and social dysfunction; 4) Stop building new settlements; 5) Start talking to the various Arab factions with more simple goals of coexistence and a lessening of hostilities; 6) Continue with the Saudi/Israeli security deal, which the relentless bombing of Gaza and the threat of invasion have already short circuited.
B.: No.
A.: Why not?
B.: Hamas must be destroyed!
