I was surprised today to hear that IDF forces had re-entered the Shifa hospital in Gaza. The raid resulted in a gunfight inside the hospital between IDF troops and some Hamas terrorists. I don’t know how the Hamas people got back inside, but the fact that tey did so is not as big a surprise as it might be. The Israeli government has prevented the IDF from playing any role in civil administration in Gaza. The result has been a slow infiltration of Hamas personnel to take up their previous roles. The military command has warned the Israeli government about this, but nothing was done. No wonder that Hamas seems to feel they will still be in charge whenever the war ends.
Yesterday I noted that Hamas is still involved in some civilian administration tasks, including aid distribution. The failure to actually do something to prepare for the end of the war is serious flaw in the Israeli approach. It doesn’t reflect well on the US diplomatic efforts either. One of the major goals is to create a situation where the mini wars do not repeat periodically. Neither the participants nor the observers have found a way to do this. It may be that the UN charter is part of the problem. Certainly, UN Band-Aid solutions have done little, if anything, to provide a lasting solution.
Weeks ago I noted that a long term solution will require re-education for the inhabitants. There are both religious and nationalist aspects that require solutions. Every recurring war since 1948 has ended with requirements for direct negotiations that the neither the UN nor anyone else has been prepared to enforce. I don’t have a magic answer, but I do feel that several steps are absolutely needed. UNRWA must be done away with. People currently called refugees need an option to go elsewhere, and the rest of the world should not have to foot the bill for the intransigence of some Arab leaders. The borders established after the First World War may need to be altered. Population exchange may be needed but I’ll discuss that in a separate post. The most important thing is a real commitment to reach a mutual agreement. That means disavowal of any group that is committed to using violence to achieve goals.
Wetherhorn 