Like many North American Jews, I'm horrified by what is still going on in Gaza.
That said, I put the blame squarely on Hamas and their followers.
Israel has shown in the past that they will not tolerate hostages being taken. In 2011, many years ago, they traded over 1,000 Palestinian detainees in exchange for 1 single Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who was being held in Gaza.
In what world did Hamas think that Israel would tolerate over 100 hostages being taken, on top of the grotesque slaughter of innocents that took place on Oct. 7?
Hamas could end this by negotiating a total Israeli hostage exchange for a reasonable number of Gazan detainees, plus a long-term ceasefire.
But no, based on Israel's original mistake of exchanging a ridiculous number of detainees in exchange for that one Israeli prisoner, Hamas is foolish enough to believe that they will again be able to negotiate such a one-sided deal.
Netanyahu will not cave to international pressure, and a day or two ago the US confirmed it would veto any UN Security Council ceasefire resolution.
Egypt is fortifying its Rafah border, as they, like most other Arab countries, don't want to accept any Palestinian refugees, realizing how radicalized they are and how much trouble they have and will cause if allowed into their stable countries.
There is a path to peace, and there could be a long-term, if not permanent, ceasefire. Gaza could rebuild, and actually use foreign and charitable aid for positive gains that would benefit Gazan civilians, rather than to buy more weapons and build more underground tunnels, not to mention enriching the bank accounts of the top Hamas leaders.
Yes, I'm horrified by what I see on the news and other media. But at this point its up to Hamas to end it by negotiating reasonably and in good faith.
That said, I put the blame squarely on Hamas and their followers.
Israel has shown in the past that they will not tolerate hostages being taken. In 2011, many years ago, they traded over 1,000 Palestinian detainees in exchange for 1 single Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who was being held in Gaza.
In what world did Hamas think that Israel would tolerate over 100 hostages being taken, on top of the grotesque slaughter of innocents that took place on Oct. 7?
Hamas could end this by negotiating a total Israeli hostage exchange for a reasonable number of Gazan detainees, plus a long-term ceasefire.
But no, based on Israel's original mistake of exchanging a ridiculous number of detainees in exchange for that one Israeli prisoner, Hamas is foolish enough to believe that they will again be able to negotiate such a one-sided deal.
Netanyahu will not cave to international pressure, and a day or two ago the US confirmed it would veto any UN Security Council ceasefire resolution.
Egypt is fortifying its Rafah border, as they, like most other Arab countries, don't want to accept any Palestinian refugees, realizing how radicalized they are and how much trouble they have and will cause if allowed into their stable countries.
There is a path to peace, and there could be a long-term, if not permanent, ceasefire. Gaza could rebuild, and actually use foreign and charitable aid for positive gains that would benefit Gazan civilians, rather than to buy more weapons and build more underground tunnels, not to mention enriching the bank accounts of the top Hamas leaders.
Yes, I'm horrified by what I see on the news and other media. But at this point its up to Hamas to end it by negotiating reasonably and in good faith.
