The fake disarmament: Israel must resist
Anyone who believes that Hamas, which continued to arm itself, recruit thousands of terrorists, and murder its opponents even after the return of the hostages, will suddenly change its ways is deceiving primarily itself.
With all the understanding for the expected and pre-declared disappointment of US President Donald Trump, if Israel does not walk the path known as "disarming Hamas," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to take into account a disappointment that will be many times deeper among the majority of Israeli citizens, including many of his voters, if he chooses to walk this path.
This idea, in itself, is as pleasant and realistic as the idea of turning the Gaza Strip into the "Singapore of the Middle East." The problem is not the goal, which is the disarmament of Hamas. The problem is that the emerging agreement is a mirage and a deception, and Netanyahu, as well as some of Trump's people, know this well.
At the end of the week, Hamas already clarified that it would not allow its weapons to be destroyed, but only stored; that it would not allow them to be taken out of the Strip, and that it would not hand over the weapons to Israel, but only to the National Committee for the Management of Gaza. Hamas, it turns out, is not disarming but simply becoming a partner in managing its arsenal, and this is only the beginning. For the organization, the agreement is nothing more than a "commercial break" and buying time that will allow it to rebuild in the future.
American pink blindness
Anyone who believes that the organization—which even after the return of the hostages continued to arm itself, produce munitions, set up lathes, recruit thousands more terrorists into its ranks, profiteer from international aid to deepen its control over the residents, and even murder its opponents—will suddenly change its spots is deceiving primarily itself. The belief that the organization has decided to raise a white flag is an illusion and American pink blindness.
Israel should not participate in this dangerous game, unless Hamas first disarms of all its weapons (light and heavy), all its tunnels, and all the munitions factories it has established. Not some of them, not a minority, and not even a majority, but all of them, and it must also dismantle all its security, policing, and government mechanisms. Before that, it is forbidden to retreat even slightly from the yellow line, which must become a red line for us, and certainly, it is forbidden to settle only for thwarting "emerging threats," but rather one must maintain full freedom of action as it has been until now.
Just two weeks ago, Khalil al-Hayya pledged to continue the path of the martyrs until the full return and full liberation of Palestine, and the liberation of Al-Aqsa. He clarified that the path of resistance was and remains the path of Hamas. So now, suddenly, everything has changed? Has the Ethiopian changed his skin and the leopard his spots?
The formula presented at the end of the week must not be acceptable to Israel. The test is not only for Netanyahu and his government, but for the entire political system, including Netanyahu's rivals. The leaders of the Zionist opposition, from Yair Golan and beyond, are required to put politics aside and clarify, despite the elections, that Netanyahu's standing up to Trump on this issue and exposing the fake disarmament and the Hamas deception will receive their support and broad political backing.
