In this week’s edition of the Action Update, we’re going to deviate from our regularly scheduled programming and offer three simple concepts the foreign policy intelligentsia needs to understand:

1. For Hamas, No Lives Matter

For years, anyone with a modicum of interest in understanding the Palestinian-Israel conflict recognized that among Hamas’s most horrific tactics was using innocent Palestinians as human shields. And for Hamas, the more innocent the victim of their cowardice, the better.

That is why Palestinian terrorists are not content to simply operate out of civilian population centers, rather they intentionally choose schools, hospitals, and similar facilities for their rocket launch sites to maximize the pain this conflict brings to both Palestinians and Israelis.

Hamas’s indifference to Palestinian suffering and glee at the suffering of all others permeates every element of their governance of the Gaza Strip and their war on the Jewish people. So how does one negotiate with such an entity? From a position of strength.

2. It’s all on Hamas

The responsibility for every casualty on both sides of this war lies squarely at Hamas’s feet. Moreover, according to reports, the failure to achieve results in the current negotiations over a temporary cease-fire and a phased release of hostages is, likewise, exclusively on Hamas.

In fact, recent reports detail exactly what is on the table, and for Hamas, the sticking point, is (literally) that they are demanding Israel set mass murderers free. That’s not going to happen, and that’s not on Israel, it’s on Hamas.

Last week the media was flooded with coverage of a humanitarian convoy that entered northern Gaza and chaos ensued. Thousands of Palestinians converged on the trucks, likely fearful that Hamas would steal the aid before it could get to the people (see concept #1). Sadly, several people were trampled, with some even being killed. Away from the crowd, at the front of the multi-truck convoy, a squad of military-aged males aggressively moved toward the lead truck, ignored warning shots from soldiers, and were killed.

Israel was bringing in aid to help Palestinians; the ensuing events are on Hamas, not Israel. Likewise, if one aggressively charges soldiers in a combat zone and ignores warning shots, those ensuing events are on the aggressor (read Hamas), not the soldiers. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) articulated it best when he tweeted, “Hamas owns this calamity.”

3. Palestinians and Israelis Understand Each Other  

Not only do Palestinians and Israelis understand each other, but in stark contrast, many of our leaders either do not understand either party in this conflict or are engaged in willful ignorance about Hamas.

Israelis know that every terrorist they trade for a hostage will be used for pro-Hamas propaganda and will likely return to the war. Likewise, virtually all Israelis and Palestinians understand that as much as Israel weeps for its innocents’ held hostage, Hamas cares nothing for Palestinian terrorists in Israeli jails – for Hamas such trades are about propaganda, for Israel they are about extracting loved ones from a living hell.

So, What Have We Learned?

If the above is true, the Biden administration is failing to exercise power effectively; in fact, they are harming both America’s standing in the world and our closest ally in the world.  Instead of pushing Israel, both publicly and privately, the Biden administration’s diplomacy and pressure should focus on Qatar (in the context of the hostages) and our alleged allies in Paris and London (in the context of the international community).

Governance at a time of war requires one to stand with their frontline allies, especially when the enemy that started the war remains resolutely committed to wiping another pluralistic democracy off the face of the earth.

The path to a ceasefire is the same as it was at the beginning of the war, release of the hostages and the surrender of Hamas terrorists. If the Biden Administration wants to help broker a ceasefire, it would be wise to double down on ensuring that aforementioned outcome.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team