Doc7505
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- Feb 16, 2016
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Israel Mulls Qatar Proposal:
Gaza Pullout for Hostages -- and Hamas Exile;
Update: Hamas Rejects
10 Jan 2024 ~~ By Ed Morrisey
In theory, this sounds like a win for Israel in its war. In practice, though, it may just be another opportunity for Hamas to escape the IDF. According to reports this morning, Qatar has proposed what amounts to a capitulation from Hamas.
The real question is: do the Israelis think Hamas would ever capitulate? The war cabinet ministers have begun discussing it already:
If the meeting took place as scheduled, it began 20 minutes ago. The proposal raises many questions, chief among them verification of exile and the rank of “leaders” to be expelled from Gaza. Presumably Qatar wants Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif to get exfiltrated, while Israel would almost certainly demand expulsion for any Hamas terrorist of any rank as part of a deal to withdraw. How would that work, anyway? Does Qatar have a landing place for the exiles, or are they offering Hamas’ leadership shelter themselves? No other Sunni nation will give Hamas sanctuary; they won’t even allow Gazans in general to relocate to their countries.
Israel may question the timing, too. The IDF just announced that they have operational control of Khirbat Ikhza’a, just outside of Khan Younis. It’s a key strategic position, and more importantly, previously considered an escape route for Hamas leadership out of the trap in Khan Younis:
Needless to say, this offer of capitulation in exchange for safe passage out of Gaza seems highly motivated by the IDF’s gains. However, IDF control of this strategic location allows them to defend southern Israel much more effectively, a value that the war cabinet has to weigh in this calculation.
Those are just the short-term questions. Longer term, how can Qatar and other Sunni nations involved in the post-war Gaza project prevent Hamas’ return? Hamas had been incredibly popular — at least nominally — before and at the start of the war, not just in Gaza but also in the West Bank. A capitulation to Israel would likely damage their standing significantly, but Hamas’ political strength isn’t going to vanish entirely even in a retreat and defeat. It took years to de-Nazify occupied Germany, and that was after an utter demolition of the Nazis.
War-cabinet minister Benny Gantz warned earlier that a deal now would inevitably lead to another war. The IDF has control of northern Gaza, Gantz declared, but Hamas hasn’t yet been fully defeated:
~Snip~
Israel may question the timing, too. The IDF just announced that they have operational control of Khirbat Ikhza’a, just outside of Khan Younis. It’s a key strategic position, and more importantly, previously considered an escape route for Hamas leadership out of the trap in Khan Younis:
~Snip~
Any discussions of a Palestinian state are useless as long as the Palestinians refuse to accept Israel as a permanent Jewish state on present borders. The Palestinians — both in Fatah and Hamas — refuse to negotiate in good faith on that basis. The Gazans just proved on October 7 that they are far more interested in committing a genocide in Israel than in peace, and so are their terror-symp Western allies who mindlessly chant “from the river to the sea” and talk about their rapist-murderer “glorious martyrs” of the Al-Aqsa Flood.
~Snip~
The Jerusalem Post also reports that the hostage families had pressed hard for the war cabinet to approve this deal. With Hamas rejecting it outright — and especially in its renewed maximalist demands — Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz are essentially free to continue with their policy of utter defeat for Hamas, at least for now.
Commentary:
Hamas is using the Israeli hostages and especially those Americans they hold with the threat of their deaths. I would put it past these vermin to murder them.
Qatar providing another example of taqiyya. My BS detector just bent another needle.
