Although a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza’s terrorist rulers went into effect just over a month ago, there has not been total quiet. Last week, Gazan terrorists launched incendiary devices into southern Israel using balloons—sometimes disguised as children’s toys—and the IDF responded with airstrikes. The balloons have stopped for the past few days, but Dan Schueftan is not hopeful about the situation:
Unless Jerusalem is provoked, it does not act against the terrorist organization, allowing Hamas to use periods of calm to regain strength that would be used against Israel in concert with Iran and Hizballah once hostilities break again. If Hamas were to continue with its most recent provocations, Jerusalem would have no choice but to act, and potentially to deny the organization the concessions it seeks.
Israel has in the past entered into . . . agreements in order to get back MIAs or other Israelis who had been captured by Hamas. This time, however, what Hamas has to offer are bodies of two fallen soldiers and two civilians who crossed the border into the strip. Even if Hamas were to receive only a fraction of its demands, Israel would get back bodies at the price of many Israelis whose names we will only get to know after they are killed.
If no one holds Hamas responsible for waging a constant war, and any military damage is easily repaired with aid from the U.S. and Israel, why would it stop killing Jews?
Many in Israel prefer not to look at the broader context. They tell themselves that the Palestinian people have turned to violence out of despair brought about by ignorance or economic hardship. In reality, . . . it is hope, rather than desperation, that drives the Palestinian people: the hope that their violent instincts could be gratified, that they could punish the Jews for building prosperous lives and finally put an end to their existence in the Middle East.
Read more on Israel Hayom: https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/seeking-a-calm-could-backfire/