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MY VIEWS - There is no secret to Hamas’s strategy: this ceasefire is merely a tactical pause, an opportunity to regroup, rearm, and renew their terror campaign against Israel.
Thus, the ceasefire is indeed bittersweet. We are overcome with joy at the prospect of reuniting with the released hostages, yet the cost is agonizingly high. The continued existence of Hamas and the release of dangerous terrorists — many certain to return to their violent ways — weigh heavily on our hearts.
My father’s wisdom echoes in my ears: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” As the ceasefire takes hold and we embrace our returning hostages, let us commit ourselves with unwavering resolve to preventing our enemies from ever again gaining such a devastating advantage. Let us learn from the past and safeguard our future.
The pogrom of last October 7, when Hamas sent thousands of bloodthirsty terrorists across the border and killed, maimed, mutilated, and raped more than 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians, taking more than 200 hostages, equally traumatized Israelis. However, the state itself was never in danger of destruction. Israel is many times stronger than it was in 1973. Today, defeat in war is painful, but it does not mean losing everything.
Israel is facing a people who might be weak, but are never defeated; a people who are gentle, yet fight tooth and nail when their dignity is at stake; a people who are forgiving, but will never pardon the killers of their children; a people who are culturally open, but determined to preserve their unique identity and heritage; and a people who are ready to coexist, but only on the basis of mutual respect, equality and rights.
So, Israel lost the Gaza war. But did Hamas win?
That depends on the definition of “win.” It can be said that Hamas already won on Oct. 7, when its terrorists embarrassed the vaunted Israeli military, overran army bases, killed so many Israelis, and made it back to Gaza with the hostages.
It can also be said that Hamas won by continuing to exist as a force in Gaza despite the devastation wrought by the Israeli military, which has killed many top Hamas commanders and thousands of lower-ranking terrorists, blown up dozens of tunnels, and destroyed weapons stockpiles and workshops.
Most of all, Hamas has won by putting the Palestinians back on the international map after years of neglect, making Israel a pariah in the world again, and endangering the grand US plan of forging an alliance between Israel and moderate Arab nations.
Does it make sense for Israel to continue pressing for the achievement of its unachievable goals? Or should it shift gears and work toward something attainable?
If the answer is the latter, then Israel needs new leadership. In the current government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trapped by the demands of the most extreme elements in his cabinet, who take the most hawkish stands on everything, foreign and domestic, and likely don’t want an end to the war.
New Israeli leadership must adopt a practical plan of action to salvage as much as possible from the Gaza war wreckage and rehabilitate Israel’s image and place in the world.
If, on the other hand, Israel changes course and teams up once again with the more sensible elements in the world, with their help, there’s a chance that Gaza can be relatively pacified, the hostages freed, and Hezbollah put back under its rock.
That’s the only way to turn this defeat into anything that resembles a victory.
But is it practical to expect the world to switch over to Israel’s side after more than seven months of devastating warfare in Gaza and the tsunami of anti-Israel sentiment sweeping the world?
(Mihran Kalaydjian has over twenty years of public affairs, government relations, legislative affairs, public policy, community relations and strategic communications experience. He is a leading member of the community and a devoted civic engagement activist for education spearheading numerous academic initiatives in local political forums.)
