ONE OF the most important questions of modernity is the same one asked for centuries: Where is peace in the Middle East? In August 2005, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s enduring hope for the answer led to his unilateral declaration of disengagement from the Gaza Strip. All 21 Israeli settlements were evacuated, and four Jewish settlements in the West Bank were likewise turned over to the Palestinian National Authority. Israel thought peace would soon follow; after all, the occupation in Gaza had ended.
How was Israel rewarded for its attempt to procure peace? Just as it was rewarded by the Second Intifada during the 2000 Camp David Summit: It was attacked. Just days after Israeli Defense Forces left the Gaza Strip, Hamas began using its new location not as an example of the success of Israeli-Palestinian cooperation but rather as its personal launch pad. Ignoring the cries for peace by 72 percent of both Palestinians and Israelis, Hamas instead tried to implement what it has admitted to be its number one goal: to “wipe out the Jews.” Hamas cares for no one other than those who subscribe to its terrorist methods and are as bent on the annihilation of Israel and the Jewish faith as they are. The only thing preventing Hamas from launching all-out genocide is the strength of Israeli defenses.
But the Israelis are not the only ones put in danger by the terrorist Hamas regime. Last year, Hamas MP Fathi Hammad told Al-Aqsa TV, “For the Palestinian people, death has become an industry. This is why they have formed human shields of the women, the children, the elderly, and the mujahedeen.” Here, Hamas does two reprehensible things. First, it equates its viciously sadistic actions with those of Palestinians, the vast majority of whom have wished harm upon no one, let alone their own sons and daughters. Second, it admits to the deplorable and unjustifiable practice of using women and children as human shields for its militants. Such behavior is indescribably evil and has led to the deaths of countless innocent Palestinians, many of whom have been politicized for Hamas’s gain by their inclusion in the Palestinian death tolls. Being pro-Palestinian is not the same as being pro-Hamas; in fact, the two are mutually exclusive.
In the famous words of Golda Meir, the fourth Prime Minister of Israel, “We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children.” The Palestinian and Israeli death tolls, which rise by dozens and sometimes hundreds a day, are inexpressibly tragic. Neither is a mere casualty; they are human beings who are caught in the middle of the most complex and heartbreaking situation the modern world has seen.
After all, what would you do when one of your cities, Sderot, was attacked 3-4 times a day by qassam rockets over a four-year period? What would you do when faced with over 6,800 rocket attacks since you disengaged from Gaza in hopes of peace? What would you do when such attacks, in direct violation of the Geneva Convention, are directed not at your military but rather at your civilians, well over one million of whom are within range of the fire? What would you do when Hamas uses mosques and schools as weapon caches, but when such buildings are surrounded by dozens of uninvolved, innocent Palestinians who would be caught in the crossfire if you were to respond?
If you’re Israel, you will send more than 14,000 trucks, 185,000 tons of food, 7,000 tons of heating gas, and 10 million gallons of fuel to provide for the innocent civilians in Gaza. You will put your military in danger by dropping just short of 1,000,000 leaflets, making over 30,000 personal phone calls, and commandeering Palestinian radio stations, begging Palestinians to leave targeted locations so as to limit civilian casualties while Hamas blocks them from fleeing. You will send over 2,000 blood units and ambulances to Gaza, because you will realize that your enemy is Hamas, not the people. You will hold vigils and services for your lost civilians and soldiers, yes, but also for the innocent Palestinians, placed in harm’s way by the unforgivable actions admitted by Hamas.
So where is peace in the Middle East? To paraphrase Golda Meir, there will only be peace once Hamas loves its children more than it hates Israelis. Sadly that day seems far off, as Israel’s commitment to a ceasefire has been rewarded over the last 48 hours by over 20 rocket attacks from Gaza and by Hamas’ vows to replenish its arsenal and continue the fight. We can only hope that one day Palestinian leaders stop fighting for the goals of extreme fundamentalists and instead work toward the ultimate goal of their people, peace.
Carrie Filipetti is vice president of advocacy for Hoos for Israel.
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