Israels cease-fire is no triumph but a wrenching, risky deal with the devil
Only hours after a possible cease-fire deal was announced between Israel and Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, chairman of the terrorist organization, declared victory, contending that the mass murder of Israeli civilians on Oct.7, 2023, would “forever be a source of pride for our people.”Speaking from the safety of Qatar, Hayya didn’t express a hint of regret for the deadly tragedy he helped bring down on his own people, promising that the next Oct.
7 would finally “expel the occupation from our lands and from Jerusalem in the earliest time possible.”We’ll see about that, I guess.President-elect Donald Trump said the cease-fire deal is “epic.” It isn’t.At best, it’s a painful, and hopefully fleeting, surrender to theocrats that will save the lives of some hostages.If the deal is finalized, it will reportedly entail a six-week cease-fire that would see a gradual withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces from the Gaza Strip — though not the Philadelphi Corridor, the sieve that separates Gaza from Egypt and Iranian armaments.In turn, the terrorist group promises to release 33 hostages on “humanitarian” grounds, which is to say perhaps they will be alive, though there are no guarantees.Israel will hand over 30 terrorists for each of the kidnapped civilians.Hamas will still be holding 65 hostages, American citizens among them.
Many, if not most, are likely dead.The cease-fire itself means little in the long run.It’s not as if Hamas is concerned about civilian casualties in Gaza.Indeed, it welcomes them: Why else would it embed munitions and operational centers under hospitals and schools?Former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is on record telling his underlings that churning out thousands of martyrs is the best way to manipulate the credulous Western establishment.Palestinians do not view the cessation of fighting as a time to forge lasting settlements, peace or security but rather as a time for retrenchment.
After all, there was a cease-fire in place on Oc...