Time for Israel To End Rule Of Hamas in Gaza

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

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A rocket launch from Gaza on Monday destroyed a house north of Tel Aviv, injuring six family members, including three children as young as 18 months old. The attack triggered a familiar routine, with Israeli Defense Forces hammering Gaza terrorist targets and Hamas lobbing rockets at border towns.

As this deadly dance reaches a crescendo, Israelis should emulate Fred Astaire in the classic Irving Berlin hit: Change partners. The strategic goal, which Americans should support, would be an end to Hamas rule in Gaza — period.

It won’t be easy, and things are likely to escalate as early as tomorrow, when Hamas has scheduled a “million-man march” at Israel’s border fence, a rerun of its weekly attempts to breach Israeli sovereignty, only larger in scale and likely to be even more violent than usual.

As Israel’s April 9 election nears, some of the top rivaling politicians are already pushing various plans for regime change in Gaza. Guess what? Inside Gaza, many would love that, too. (Alas, no election has been held there since 2006.)

Arab Spring-like anti-Hamas demonstrations that began this month have received little attention outside the Middle East, but they are growing. Sick of Hamas’ cruelty, misrule, and corruption, dissident Gazans have been pouring into the streets. The revolt has persisted even as Hamas thugs have used force, including live ­ammunition, to snuff it out.

Hence the Hamas leadership’s ­decision to turn to an old playbook: escalating attacks on Israel to divert attention from their own unpopularity back home.

Hamas tried to explain away its missile launch as “a mistake” on the same day. But it was too late: Prime Minister Netanyahu cut a Washington trip short, while IDF jets bombed to smithereens the offices of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas political chief. Also hit were intelligence and military buildings and other symbols of the organization’s power.

Symbolism, though, won’t do the job. On Wednesday, a smiling Mr. Haniyeh was photographed next to the ruins of his former office, flashing a victory sign.

No wonder an opinion poll Tuesday showed more than half of all ­Israelis deem the army response too weak. They are tired of the ­Qatar- and Iran-backed Hamas and its endless provocations, which aren’t limited to missiles.

Even before the latest launch, Gazan rockets regularly, and indiscriminately, targeted Israeli border towns, forcing residents to seek shelter, often with only seconds to avoid being hit. Those crowds that gather weekly at Israel’s border aren’t peaceful protesters, contrary to Western press perceptions. Typically, women and children provide cover as terrorists deploy incendiary devices mounted on balloons or kites, burning Israeli fields.

This week’s attack was especially egregious, since the rocket hit far from Gaza, at Mishmeret, a small town near Kfar Saba. The home of Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, is in Mishmeret, a mere 100 yards from where the missile landed. “If the terror from Gaza continues,” he warned at the Security Council Tuesday, “the Hamas leadership will . . . be buried in the tunnels of Gaza.”

As of now, though, Israel’s ­response has fallen far short of burying Haniyeh or anyone else. Why? The April 9 election has proved more challenging for Mr. Netanyahu than any before it. Hitting Gaza too hard could quickly spin out of control, imperiling his ­re-election efforts.

Despite his tough talk, Mr. Netanyahu is far from a trigger-happy warmonger. Throughout his long tenure, he has tried to avoid all-out military conflagrations, preferring instead pinpoint, daring air attacks (like the one conducted Thursday morning in Syria).

Then, too, Mr. Netanyahu considers the northern front, where Iran and Hezbollah strive to establish an ­anti-Israel beachhead in Syria, as more strategically menacing than Gaza in the south.

Notwithstanding President Trump’s courageous decision to break with American diplomatic dogma and recognize Israel’s sovereignty in the Golan Heights to the north, Gaza remains inescapable.

Whether Mr. Netanyahu survives the election that comes right after Hamas’ Saturday march at the border, or is replaced by top challenger Benny Gantz, Israel will soon need to deal decisively with its Gaza problem. Hamas control of Gaza — a disaster brought about by the George W. Bush administration’s obsession with spreading democracy among the Arabs — must end.

With a change in dance partners can come a whole new routine.

________

Twitter: @BennyAvni. From the New York Post.


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