In late August the Israel Defense Forces carried out a precision airstrike on gunmen who had sought to hijack an aid convoy. The IDF said it had targeted a vehicle in a convoy that was full of armed men. Initial reports portrayed the men as civilians, with claims the Israeli strike had killed “four Palestinians leading an aid convoy”.This type of framing of the conflict, and the way in which Hamas systematically seeks to exploit civilian institutions and humanitarian aid to cling to power in Gaza, is one of the reasons it is so difficult to uproot the terror organisation.
US must reevaluate Mideast ties with terror enabling countries
The US must rethink its relationships with allies like Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, who have supported or enabled terrorist organizations, to better safeguard its national security.
ERIC R. MANDEL | SEPTEMBER 23, 2024
US PRESIDENT Joe Biden meets with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in Sharm el-Sheikh, in 2022. ‘The US has leverage with Egypt, as Washington gives Cairo over a billion dollars a year for its military,’ the writer states. (photo credit: Egyptian Presidency/Reuters)
The American view of “the day after” deals exclusively with who will control Gaza after Israel attempts to dismantle Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, creating a path to two states for a two-people’s solution. That scenario unrealistically envisions a ceasefire ending the war and the return of all the hostages. The much more plausible scenario is a Hamas insurgency emerging every night from yet undiscovered tunnels, killing Palestinians who work with any other governing force.
