Last week, the Biden administration, along with 16 other countries, called for Israel to end the war in Gaza without completing its objectives and effectively to enter into a cease-fire agreement with Hamas that would pave the way to a Palestinian state, which would be the ultimate award for the horrific war crimes committed by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
The curt statement, titled a “Joint Statement from the Leaders of the United States, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom on Gaza”, reads as follows:
“As leaders of countries deeply concerned for the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, including many of our own citizens, we fully support the movement towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal now on the table and as outlined by President Biden on May 31, 2024. There is no time to lose. We call on Hamas to close this agreement, that Israel is ready to move forward with, and begin the process of releasing our citizens.
"We note that this agreement would lead to an immediate ceasefire and rehabilitation of Gaza together with security assurances for Israelis, and Palestinians, and opportunities for a more enduring long-term peace and a two-state solution. At this decisive moment, we call on the leaders of Israel as well as Hamas to make whatever final compromises are necessary to close this deal and bring relief to the families of our hostages, as well as those on both sides of this terrible conflict, including the civilian populations. It is time for the war to end and this deal is the necessary starting point.”
This shocking joint statement does several things simultaneously that not only insult Israel and undermine its efforts to achieve total victory against Hamas in Gaza, but also embolden the other enemies of Israel and the Western world who are watching with bated breath what Israel does to eliminate the threat to it posed by Hamas.
The first mistake that this statement makes is that it calls for an end to the war and the rehabilitation of Gaza without eliminating Hamas. Ending the war with Hamas still governing Gaza would send the message that the crimes of October 7 are allowed to go unpunished. Rehabilitation of Gaza without insisting that the population undergo some sort of deradicalization program signals that the international community will continue to spend money to aid Gaza without placing any conditions on the structure of their corrupt and immoral society. The U.S.-led Marshal Plan to rehabilitate Western Europe after WWII was conditioned on the total de-radicalization of German and Italian society. The international community should expect no less of Gaza.
The second mistake is that it calls for the implementation of the so-called “two-state solution”, which is a euphemism for forcing Israel to give up its claim to sovereignty in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Negev Coastline. To call for the establishment of what will certainly end up being a failed Arab state is to reward the perpetrators of the atrocities of October 7 with statehood. The message would be clear – mass murder, torture and sexual violence are legitimate tools for achieving geopolitical goals.
The third, and perhaps most shocking, mistake in this joint statement is making a moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas. The countries say that they “... call on the leaders of Israel as well as Hamas to make whatever final compromises are necessary to close this deal...”
In other words – as far as the United States and its allies are concerned, Israel and Hamas are fighting senselessly like two rambunctious schoolboys in the playground. This is not a democratic ally of the West fighting a just war against a barbaric terrorist organization. It’s just hotheads who are going at it and need to be held back by the cooler heads in the neighborhood.
This attitude by countries who are supposed to be Israel’s friends and allies can only encourage Iran and its proxies to continue to pursue their policy of aggression against Israel and Israeli targets in the West. Rather than end the war more quickly, this approach will almost certainly result in the deterioration of the already volatile situation along the Israel-Lebanon border into a full-scale war that would force Israel to eliminate Hezbollah and, in the process, devastate the Lebanese cities of Tyre and Sidon as well as wreak havoc in Beirut.
If the international community wants to see a return to calm in the Middle East, the best course of action would be to show unwavering support for Israel’s war goals in Gaza and signal to Iran and Hezbollah that they would do well to reach a negotiated settlement that can restore the calm between Israel and Lebanon.
Israel has no choice but to finish the job now in Gaza so that it can never be used as a launching base for terrorist attacks ever again. If the international community forces Israel to fight alone, it will only prolong the conflict.
- Elie Kirshenbaum is a private lawyer in New York and Israel and is a member of the IDSF Research Division. His research focuses on comparative law, international law, and geopolitics.