Do we love our children more than we hate Hamas?

Golda Meir infamously said that “When peace comes, we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons. Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.”

The current Israeli government is driven by hate for Hamas and not love for our daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and partners. Netanyahu’s “Philadelphia Corridor” speech seems to all but seal the fate of the hostages. Many in the government, both quietly and publicly, have made it clear that Netanyahu does not want a deal, because he knows it will end his reign.  His fear of Ben Gvir and Smotrich far outweighs his responsibility to the hostages, their families, and to the people of Israel. Ben Gvir and Smotrich are driven only by hate and the sanctification of land and power over the sanctification of human life. This is now the official policy of the Israeli government, leaving little room for hope and few options.

Without a ceasefire/hostage deal in sight the most likely option is maintenance of the current chaos in Gaza.  The Israeli government seems perfectly happy to continue the operation in Gaza indefinitely. Clearing areas of terrorists, withdrawing and then repeating operations as new enclaves of terrorists emerge, often in places previously cleared by the IDF. Sinwar is not unhappy with this situation either since Hamas and its allies have an unlimited supply of new recruits from the devasted population, and a seemingly limitless supply of stored munitions and munitions left behind by the IDF itself. This leaves the Palestinian civilian population, terrorized and displaced. Lacking food, water, electricity, energy, shelter and medical treatment, humanitarian organizations cannot adequately respond to the crisis due to the ongoing war.  Without a ceasefire/hostage deal, mini-Gazas are emerging in the West Bank; areas like Jenin, in which Hamas is in control and from which it can launch terrorist attacks on vulnerable Jewish settlements and roads once travelled safely by both Palestinians and Israelis. Palestinians are trapped inside their cities often unable to get to their work, schools or relatives, due to hundreds of roadblocks now permeating the West Bank. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian workers have been left unemployed, prevented from crossing into Israel since October 7^th while Jewish settlers launch terrorist attacks against innocent Palestinians villagers. Without a ceasefire/hostage deal, anger, frustration and hopelessness are the elements of the perfect storm brewing on the West Bank ready to explode. Without a ceasefire/hostage deal the abandonment of Israel’s north continues, tens of thousands remain homeless and the potential for a full-scale regional war remains imminent.

Given the current political situation in which Ben Gvir and Smotrich hold the future of Netanyahu’s government in their hand, the Israeli government’s policy of prioritizing fighting the war over saving the lives of the hostages, leaves very few hopeful scenarios for those of us who believe in the sanctity of human life, Palestinian and Israeli alike.

A second option, not so different than the first, would be for Israel to declare victory in Gaza and refocus its military efforts on the northern border and the West Bank. Israel would leave behind military forces to maintain control of the Philadelphia Corridor, the Netzarim Corridor and other strategic places inside Gaza.  Hamas would slowly regain its strength and eventually reassert its control over the civilian population, taking a toll of Israeli soldiers along the way. The hostages would be sacrificed but the government might hope that the widening war with Hezbollah in Lebanon and with Hamas in the West Bank could somehow fade our memory of the government’s catastrophic failure to do its most basic job, protect its citizens.

A third option would be if the United States would force a ceasefire/hostage deal on Netanyahu and Sinwar.  President Joe Biden can convince Israel to accept a ceasefire/hostage deal if he is willing to use all the foreign policy tools at his disposal. The carrots, such as the Saudi deal, have not worked so far, so Biden would have to use sticks such as withholding military aid, implementing sanctions, and stop defending Israel in the international arena. Due to the very tight presidential race and US elections just two months away, it appears unlikely that Biden will risk alienating important constituencies, such as the pro-Israel lobby or the evangelical community, with a major disruption in US-Israel relations. Biden may not be running but there is no doubt that he is committed to stopping Trump from ever stepping foot into the White House again.  Even if the US managed to coerce Israel into a ceasefire/hostage deal, it is not clear whether the US has the diplomatic tools to coerce Hamas.  Sinwar has little reason to end the war, unless he can guarantee his and Hamas’s survival, and the complete removal of Israel from Gaza.  So, the option of a US intervention seems unlikely.

There are two options to end this stalemate and reach a ceasefire/hostage deal, which I think are more realistic. The first is the Shas option. Out of the 5 current Israeli government coalition partners, I believe that the Shas Party is the only one with a soul. The Shas Party has its roots in the Sephardi/Mizrachi social activist movement of the 70’s and the Israeli Black Panther Party.  While Shas is one of the two ultra-orthodox parties in the Knesset (and in the government), Shas’s supporters come from a much broader electorate, not only ultra-orthodox but also traditional and non-religious. The common thread is a concern for social justice, especially for Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews and for Jewish tradition.  Shas is not married to a Jewish tradition frozen in time in 19^th century Poland but to a Jewish tradition which lives, breathes and evolves, a Jewish tradition closer to my heart, which I believe, still sanctifies human life over land and power. Though Shas has tied its political fortunes to Netanyahu for years, this is not a given.  Shas can and has worked with the center and the left.  Recent rumors are that Shas MKs are meeting with opposition MKs to discuss an alternative “ceasefire/hostage deal” government.

The second realistic option to end the stalemate and reach a ceasefire/hostage deal is based on the outlandish concept that Israel puts its trust in the Palestinian Authority.  I realize how difficult it is for most Israelis to get their head around the idea that the Palestinian Authority is the only real solution to the day after but before you stop following this blog, hear me out.  For good or for bad, the Palestinian Authority is still the only legitimate institution in Palestinian society which can take responsibility for civilian administration of Gaza. Some Israelis fantasized that a non-Hamas, non-PA movement would rise in Gaza or that heads of Hamulot (clans) could be enticed to take charge.  Others believed that an international Arab force made up of Emirates, Jordanians or Saudis would move in. None of that is happening. Non-Hamas aligned Palestinians in Gaza support the PA returning to Gaza, as a legitimate expression of their right to self-determination, even while they curse the PA for being corrupt, anti-democratic and dysfunctional. If you have been to Kaplan on Saturday nights, you will understand why people who think their government is corrupt, anti-democratic and dysfunctional would still prefer it over a government forced upon them by their enemies.  While the Palestinian Authority may be corrupt, anti-democratic and dysfunctional, it is still committed to a negotiated two-state solution, while Hamas remains committed to Israel’s destruction. The current Palestinian Authority ministers were appointed in the middle of a political, security and financial maelstrom. They have not had the opportunity to govern so it is too soon to determine how corrupt or dysfunctional they may be.  I know one of them very well and he is a person of great integrity.  I have heard from someone I trust deeply, good things about other current PA Ministers. The best thing about the option of the Palestinian Authority taking on responsibility for the civilian administration of Gaza is that it is the one option Sinwar fears the most.

Military pressure is not working. Our government has abandoned us. It would be easy to sink into a mire of hopelessness.  Perhaps it is time to open our minds and think differently.