Article Seven of Hamas’s Charter reads:
The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: 'O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.
Thus, Hamas’ conduct —rape, murder, mayhem, and kidnap—is no surprise. Nor is it any surprise that Israel is committed to obliterate Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure and ensure that Hamas has no remaining military capability when the war ends. This cannot be done by negotiation, only action.
Nor should anyone mistakenly believe that Hamas has any interest in making a two-state solution peace deal with Israel. Whatever one’s views regarding negotiations regarding the West Bank, Hamas is very clear, as is Hezbollah, that it is only interested in the destruction of Israel. Read the following, also in Hamas’ charter:
Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it." (Preamble)
And:
The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinguished Palestinian movement, whose allegiance is to Allah, and whose way of life is Islam. It strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine." (Article 6)
Followed by:
[Peace] initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement... Those conferences are no more than a means to appoint the infidels as arbitrators in the lands of Islam... There is no solution for the Palestinian problem except by Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility." (Article 13)
Throughout its charter, over and over Hamas’s hatred and disdain for Jews is clear. Saturday, October 7, that hatred and disdain manifested in the death and suffering we have all seen on our television screen. And, most disturbingly, the grisly actions perpetrated on Israelis were planned and performed by a bloodthirsty horde, not the demented acts of a few. Therefore, the leaders of Hamas must be eliminated, its terrorist minions crushed, and its implements of war destroyed—all never to return. This will take time. This will almost certainly require a ground attack. This will be bloody even though Israel will abide by international law to a degree no nation ever has. Hamas has left no choice. Israel has no choice.
Otherwise it will happen again.
To all of you receiving this bi-monthly newsletter for the first time, please write to me about what you think could be improved. While normally this newsletter exclusively focuses on Hezbollah, today mandated that I do something different. And, of course, unsubscribe if you would rather not get this. But, if you think it worthwhile, please forward this newsletter to anybody who you think would be interested in reading it.
Will Hezbollah get involved in the fighting? This is an update from Lt. Col. (ret.) Sarit Zehavi, President of Alma, about what is going on in northern Israel.
How Hamas Duped Israel as it Planned Devastating Attack—Witten by Samia Nakhoul and Jonathan Saul for Reuters—October 9, 2023. This well written piece discusses how Hamas planned the attack.
Israel’s Struggle with Hezbollah—A War Without End is now available in eBook and hardback format on Amazon and IngramSpark. This compelling narrative explores Hezbollah’s origins and cancerous growth, traces Israel’s response, and reveals Israel’s present readiness to meet Hezbollah’s challenge.
Cliff Sobin
Important Link—Alma Research and Education Center: Understanding the Security Challenges on Israel’s Northern Border