Pressure on Israel won’t end the war

In one war Israel defeated Hamas, (it now has no clear chain of command or a formidable armed wing), Hezbollah, Assad’s Syria and Iran. Rather than acknowledge Israel’s achievements, last week Australia joined 27 other countries in signing a joint statement on the “Occupied Palestinian Territories” urging Israel to stop the fighting.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese further emphasised these concerns in a statement last Friday. “Israel’s denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food cannot be defended or ignored,” he said.

Hamas’s evil use of human shields has been to maximise the deaths of fellow Palestinians. Using civilians as pawns is part of its strategy to delegitimise Israel around the world. Silencing the guns will significantly ease the severe humanitarian situation with the prospect of better aid distribution and additional casualties avoided. Many of Israel’s international partners are increasingly uneasy about the humanitarian impact of the war. Some Israeli analysts worry that widespread trauma in Gaza could serve as fertile ground for a subsequent insurgency, not necessarily under a Hamas banner.

But returning to the previous UN-dominated aid system that Hamas exploited by stealing food would risk Hamas maintaining itself in power and keep the war going, a result that would hardly benefit Gazans in the longer term. The current Hamas business model, with their isolation from Iranian and Qatari funds, has been to loot relief supplies and control the black market to pay their operatives in food and money. They are exhibiting the same ruthlessness they apply to anyone who calls for Hamas to stop the war, lay down their arms and release the hostages.

The joint statement itself is inconsistent. At one point it calls for a “negotiated” ceasefire and then later for an “unconditional” ceasefire. How do you negotiate something unconditionally? It just means abandoning the hostages and leaves open the possibility of future Hamas terrorism. Hamas is hardly likely to agree to a US-sponsored agreement now when Australia and other nations are demanding Israel simply end all pressure on Hamas without conditions, with the implication here that Hamas will continue to rule the Strip. That would make any reconstruction efforts extremely difficult. Key Arab states are waiting for a ceasefire and then may engage in rebuilding Gaza.