Ten Myths About the Israel-Hamas War (Keeping the World Company)

Each of them Needs to be Busted. The hosts for this show are Jay Fidell and Tim Apicella. The guest is Jean Rosenfeld.

Here are 10 myths about the Israel-Hamas war, courtesy an article by David M. Weinberg in the Jerusalem Post. There are, of course, many more. Bad policy thinking and faulty paradigms of the past still dominate in many capitals around the world, and too many people fall prey to the enemy’s propaganda.

1. Neutrality: Failure to condemn Hamas is collusion against Israel. Hesitation to explicitly support Israel is equivalent to siding with the enemy.

2. Ceasefire: Calls for an immediate ceasefire are unreasonable. Such a move would be a triumph for Hamas and a setback for Israel, leaving it vulnerable to future attacks.

3. Negotiate: Advocating negotiations with Hamas is misguided. The same Middle East ‘experts’ who brought us the failed approach to handling Hamas ignore past atrocities and pretend compromise is possible.

4. Distinction: While some argue that Hamas does not represent all Palestinians in Gaza, its electoral success and widespread support indicate a broader reflection of Gazan sentiments.

5. War crimes: Hamas, not Israel, is guilty of war crimes. Their attacks on civilians, use of human shields (along with its expropriation of mosques, schools, and hospitals as bases of military action and weapons storage), and hindrance of evacuation efforts are reprehensible. Add to this several war-related offenses like inflating and manipulating casualty counts, stealing relief supplies meant for Palestinian civilians, and more.

6. Palestinian Authority: Proposals to reinstate the Palestinian Authority as rulers of Gaza are misguided, given their weakness, corruption, and lack of legitimacy.

7. Iran: Incredulously, Washington is reluctant to call out Iran for its leadership of the radical Islamic assault on Israel and its material support for Hamas, and there is a significant policy camp in Washington that still hopes for a deal with Iran after this war to ‘stabilize’ the region. President Obama’s predilection/delusion for strategic partnering with Iran runs deep into the Biden administration. Few in the administration yet understand the current opportunity (and absolute need) to cut Iran’s regional heft down to size.

8. Qatar: Qatar’s role in harboring and funding Hamas demands action. An ultimatum should be issued to expel Hamas leaders or face consequences.

9. Humanitarian refuge and relief: Relief for Gazan Palestinians should be an international responsibility, not solely Israel’s. A blockade on Gaza is legal and intended to impair the enemy’s military capabilities.

10. The Day After: Who will rule Gaza once Hamas is annihilated? What is the endgame? This is going to be a long war. Who knows how the war will develop and where it will lead? And as above, this matter is the world’s problem, not just Israel’s because resolution is tied to broader regional battles.

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