Shut it Down
I was going to write a piece on what has been happening with Qatar and Iceland. Not with each other, but rather with us. I may get back to it, but this has been a bit of a tough week. Five soldiers were killed earlier this week, and one of the boys, Moshe Shmuel Noll – Moishe, H”YD – was the son of old friends. A soldier was killed and was rescued from being kidnapped in Khan Yunis. Then, on Thursday, there was a terrorist attack and a young man was murdered in Gush Etzion. Hard to think about other stuff to write about.
Activity in Judea Samaria has been constant. It makes sense that those as maniacally driven as is Hamas will not go down without a fight. Just as we impose more military pressure on Hamas, they will try to impose on us. I would expect that the powers that be in charge of shutting it down will do just that. But this is not just about military action. Policy must change.
Terrorists who are captured should not be incarcerated. If they were successful in the attempt to murder, they should be given the death penalty. The families of the terrorists should all be deported. This is not complex: those who are willing to live like decent human beings will be allowed to stay. Those who engage in terror will not.
The call has gone out for annexation of Judea Samaria. I could not agree more. Like most things here, it is not that simple. The United States wants a Peace. That means courting Arab countries. That means positions contrary to our best interests may become a sticking point. There is no one that anyone takes seriously for positions of power that would try to make a case for anything resembling “the two-state solution”. But the Saudis cannot be seen as abandoning the cause of the Palestinians. Saudi Arabia is the holy grail in this region for Trump. There are likely some upsides for us as well, but maybe just a little pricey.
Of course, Netanyahu made it clear in Washington that a state for the Palestinians is no longer a talking point. Making the territory officially part of the state is just the next step. Those who continue to call for Palestine might consider turning to Egypt or Jordan. After all, they lost the war (or at least the initial installment of the conflict, which is actually ongoing since independence was declared). Make them responsible for providing territory. It is not our responsibility.
The threat of terror in Judea Samaria is clear and present. It is practical and necessary to shut it down. Now. We are in a window of opportunity to press the enemy, and remove not only the threat, but also the doubt: this is our heartland, and the land of our heart.
