ITAI’S SPECIAL BULLETIN II
October 9, 2023
By: Joseph Puder
The Islamist terrorist group we call Hamas is no different from ISIS or Al-Qaeda in terms of ideology, religious fanaticism, and cruelty. It harbors the same Salafist way of thinking that rejects any kind of peace with infidels, be it Christians or Jews. It so happens that the Jewish state is situated next to Hamas in Gaza and has thus become a target of annihilation. The mistake Israel has been making with regards to Hamas is that it dealt with this barbaric terrorist group, with a 7th Century mentality, as if dealing with a rational actor. Israel has increased the number of Palestinians allowed to work in Israel to relieve the economic misery in the Gaza Strip. Israel also increased the delivery of food and other life necessities to Gaza. Israeli policymakers hoped that economic betterment of the population in Gaza might mitigate Hamas’ and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) zeal for terror and violence.
Hamas, which uses its civilian population as human shield following every massive rocket attack on Israel, could care less about the welfare of its people. Economic improvement in Gaza only counts if the Hamas leadership can reap its benefits. Hamas cares little about securing employment for its young people, or improving the Strip’s infrastructure; schools, medical services, etc. Funds Hamas receives from Qatar and Turkey goes to build up its military infrastructure. Iran provides arms, training, and funds to bolster Hamas’ offensive terror capabilities against Israel. Shiite-Muslim Iran has no interest in the welfare of the Gaza Strip Sunni-Muslim population.
Israel must now deal with Hamas and PIJ the same way the US and its allies dealt with ISIS. Destroy Hamas militarily and remove it from the Gaza Strip. With over one thousand Israelis murdered in cold blood by Hamas, and over three thousand wounded, many of them critically, Israel’s casualties exceed, proportionately, by far American casualties on 9/11 and Pearl Harbor combined. In addition, there are 150 Israeli hostages dragged from their homes to Gaza tunnels, after murdering Nazi-like entire families including young children and elderly men and women, while raping young women. These depraved beings cannot be allowed to continue threatening the lives of Israeli civilians. No civilized democracy can allow such monsters to be their neighbors.
For poetic justice to be served, the Biden administration should leverage the $6billion currently in Qatar to transfer it to Israel, to rebuild the enormous damage caused not only to the psyche of Israelis traumatized by the indiscriminate murders of their families and friend, but also to rebuild the damaged physical infrastructure caused by Iranian rockets supplied to Hamas and PIJ to attack the Jewish state. There is no question about Iran’s involvement in the planning of this dastardly and unprovoked attack on Israel. Finally, Israel at this point must repeat George W. Bush’s call following 9/11, “Are you with us or with the terrorists.” Anyone on Israel’s side must allow Jerusalem to complete the job left incomplete in previous bloody engagements with Hamas, remove the terror group from Gaza once and for all.