Peace requirements: Hamas must be eradicated and Qatar left behind

The Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, presented six “red lines” ahead of the Monday White House meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, as reported by The Times of Israel.

I would like to briefly focus on the points regarding the end of the war in Gaza against Hamas, with the premise that I agree with the Finance Minister, since there can be no peace without security, and it can only happen through the full eradication of Hamas, once and for all.

In its almost twenty years of ruling in Gaza, Hamas has turned the Strip into a terrorist hub and an Iranian outpost, exterminating all opposition, spending billions on weapons, on above and below ground infrastructures, and in plans to attack Israel. These activities were financed through funds coming in large amounts from Qatar, which remains Hamas’s main supporter and diplomatic arm, regardless of its will to present itself as a “mediator.”

Let’s be very clear and practical: any remnants of Hamas in Gaza would lead to new attempts to rearm and reintroduce terrorism against Israel as Hamas leaders themselves have said they want to repeat October 7-style massacres. This isn’t just an ethical issue (Hamas cannot be given any role after the atrocities it committed), but a purely pragmatic one. Anyone who truly wants peace can’t even consider Hamas’s survival.

Hamas is a terrorist organization and it is classified as such by the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and the European Union. Therefore, these actors must be coherent, deal with it as such, and back Israel in its war against it, no matter how strong Qatar’s pressures are in the attempt to safeguard what’s left of Hamas.

Smotrich is absolutely correct when he demands no role for Doha in the postwar Gaza. Qatar is Hamas’s main supporter and sponsor (indeed, without downsizing the roles of Iran and Turkey); it should never have had a mediating role in the hostage issue, and if the war has dragged on for so long, it’s also because Doha played a key role in buying time for Hamas.

The Israeli raid against the Hamas leadership in early September greatly outraged the international community, but no one asked the one honest question that needed to be asked: Why is Doha hosting and protecting the leadership of a terrorist organization? If Iran supports terrorism, it’s labeled a “rogue state,” and we absolutely agree with that; so why doesn’t the same rule apply to Qatar? Obviously, the question is provocative, because we know the answer very well, and that’s precisely the problem.

Among the other points highlighted by Smotrich, he demands that Israeli forces remain in control of the perimeter of the Strip, including on the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egyptian border, and have complete freedom of action throughout the coastal territory. This is a very important point since only the Israeli security forces can protect the borders and prevent weapon smuggling into Gaza, which would lead to a rearmament of the terrorists. It is, in fact, in Israel’s best interest to make Gaza a terror-free area, and, unfortunately, we cannot say the same thing about other Middle Eastern actors willing to engage in post-war Gaza, or about the UN.

I would add that the plan must completely abandon the idea of ​​releasing hundreds of Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli prisons, as this would only strengthen the terrorist ranks, with all the attendant consequences. Let’s be honest: working toward a “peace plan” by freeing terrorists is completely illogical. Moreover, equating the release of the remaining Israeli hostages with the release of terrorists, an equation we have unfortunately heard too many times, is unacceptable and only encourages further terrorist acts.

At this point, we can only wait and see what will emerge from the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump, keeping in mind that a shaky peace plan based on inconsistent principles and pressure from those who support terrorism will lead to no lasting peace or Nobel Prize, but only to further failures and violence. Peace can only come through security and the neutralization of terrorism and those who sponsor and finance it.