When I saw the killing of those 260 revelers at the Nova music festival, I cried – as any father would – because those children could have been yours or mine.
When I saw what Hamas did at Kibbutz Kfar Aza and elsewhere, my mind went back to when I was working on a kibbutz in the Galilee – and I thought how vulnerable we were, how innocently we went out to pick apples or dig ditches. because we were in exactly the same state of mind as those Israelis living near Gaza last Saturday.
We knew there could be problems; we knew there was a risk of a missile attack. But we believed that the Israel Defense Forces were the most vigilant in the world and that Israeli intelligence was more than capable of warning us of any danger.
So when I think about the carnage that happened a week ago, I understand the shock of the Israeli people. I share their anger. Israel has a moral right – even an obligation – to eliminate those responsible, to ensure that such a thing as the October Massacre never happens again.
This is not because I hunger for an Old Testament vengeance, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
Israel must act because that country has been attacked with a ruthlessness not seen since its founding in 1948.
Israel must act because it is vital that we dismantle the Hamas machine and restore confidence in the Israeli security services and military.
When I saw what Hamas did at Kibbutz Kfar Aza (pictured) and elsewhere, my mind went back to when I was working on a kibbutz in the Galilee – and thought how utterly vulnerable we were, writes BORIS JOHNSON.
Israel must act because that remarkable new democracy still faces an existential threat – and Britain must support Israel, even as we grieve for the suffering that follows.
We grieve for the innocent Palestinian children who are losing their lives as much as we grieve for the Israelis. But the Israelis have no choice but to try to find those who attacked them and prevent them from committing more murders.
To all those idiots who have taken to the streets waving their Palestinian flags, or chanting that ‘the Jews had it coming’, I say: you are either victims of your own prejudices, or you have been willfully blind to what is indeed. takes place in the Middle East.
Yes, it is tragic that we have not reached a two-state solution, and we must admit that this goal seems more distant than ever. But if you think the Israelis bear sole, or even primary, responsibility for this failure, then you haven’t been following events.
Gaza is out of control because in 2005, the Israelis pulled out completely – sometimes dragging Jewish settlers by the hair. The country was left to the Palestinians.
What happened? Did they seize their moment and govern sensibly, taking advantage of the billions in aid that the US and the EU were ready to hand out?
On the contrary – the Gaza Strip became a launch pad for rocket attacks on Israel; a terrible advertisement for what two states can mean.
It is true that in recent decades the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank has made a negotiated solution more difficult; but it could have been done.
To all those idiots who have taken to the streets waving their Palestinian flags, or chanting that ‘the Jews had it coming’, I say: you are either victims of your own prejudices, or you have been willfully blind to what is indeed. takes place in the Middle East
Time and again, the Palestinian leadership has rejected the opportunity to make deals on terms far more favorable than those that can be offered today.
The simple reason for this refusal is that the leaders of the Palestinian factions – whether Fatah or Hamas – have depended for their importance, for their money, not on reaching an agreement, but on ensuring that the conflict continues.
This is why Hamas has dug up water pipes donated by the EU and turned them into rocket launchers.
And for those who continue to assert some moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas, let me make this basic point. It doesn’t matter if they shot those babies or beheaded them. They were aiming to kill the most innocent and vulnerable human beings in a deliberately horrific way. This is the difference between Hamas terrorists and the Israelis.
The scale of the carnage and the ruthlessness of Hamas have drawn comparisons with 9/11, the mass killing in New York that prompted the US and UK to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. The comparison seems apt, so let’s also remember the lessons of 9/11.
More than 20 years later, our mistakes are obvious. It is easy to destroy a regime or government in the Middle East. It’s less easy to make sure you have any kind of replacement, let alone a better one.
It’s easy to be shocked and intimidated by the power of Western weapons. It is much less easy to convince a Muslim audience – never mind the rest of the world – of the righteousness of your actions.
Smoke rises above buildings in the southern Gaza Strip after an Israeli attack today
If 9/11 taught us anything, it’s that it’s all too easy, in our response, to create a cycle of violence that goes on for years, in which jihadists are radicalized against us and Western cities experience the horrors of being hit. .
This cycle of revenge is exactly what Hamas wants. That’s why they did this massacre now. Their fanaticism and their refusal to compromise meant that they were becoming irrelevant to the peace process.
They struck not only at Israel, but also at the prospect – horrifying to Hamas – that Israel was on the verge of further reconciliation with the Arab world.
The Abraham Accords, approved under Donald Trump, have been the most important step forward for decades. First, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco made peace. Who could doubt that Saudi Arabia would soon follow?
Whatever people say about that country’s leader, Mohammed bin Salman, he is transforming his country and has the potential to transform the region. A vision is unfolding for much greater economic integration between Israel and its Arab neighbors; green hydrogen or solar energy used to desalinate water and let the desert thrive; high-speed railway connecting the vast Arabian peninsula with the Mediterranean.
With better transportation, better skills, and high technology, young Palestinians have the hope of jobs — and the chance to get away from Hamas and all the politicians who depend on the conflict.
Over time, if this process is allowed to continue, both sides may have the confidence to do what is necessary, to agree to transfer more power to the Palestinians and create something like a two-state solution.
It’s hard to imagine the Israelis ever agreeing—not from what we’ve seen—to a fully militarily independent Palestinian state. This is not in the cards. But you can imagine a federal settlement and the land swap that would make it viable.
All this progress will flow from actual Arab-Israeli reconciliation. It would make Hamas irrelevant – and that’s why they hate the process so much.
In the absence of an easy two-state solution, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is absolutely right to pursue this approach. It is the best hope for peace. He deserves every support to hunt down Hamas – and he will get it from Britain.
But somehow he must retaliate without alienating the entire Arab world for years to come, and he must keep alive the great project of reconciliation and economic reconstruction that Israel and its neighbors are now embarking on. Somehow, we must avoid another wasted decade of violence and revenge, because that is exactly what Hamas wants.
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