The Supposed Hamas "Ceasefire"
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no way this is happening:
How do I know this? Let’s look at the details:
Hamas said Friday that it will begin disarming as part of a deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump that also requires Israel to end its strikes and withdraw from Gaza. It marks a potential breakthrough in ending the war, but implementation faces major challenges.
Hamas also said that laying down its heavy weapons, which would come later in the process, was contingent on the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel’s current government adamantly rejects.
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Disarming would represent a sea change for Hamas, whose founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel, and which sees its arsenal, including rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosives, as lying at the heart of its identity.
First, Hamas’s very own charter explicitly states that Israel is never to be recognized as its own state. It firmly believes that its weaponry is part of its very existence. This is the entire reason why they rejected this very proposition years ago:
They aren’t disarming totally, either. Many of their weapons they keep and other details of the proposal include putting some of the weapons in a sort-of terror escrow:
Hamas has reportedly sent a letter to the White House asking President Trump for a decade-long hudna (long-term truce) in Gaza.
The terror group says that it is prepared to honor an agreement and gradually disarm, while seeking a long-term ceasefire under which Israel would refrain from attacking Gaza, cease targeted killings of senior Hamas officials, and begin a gradual withdrawal of its forces from the Strip.
Details of the reported proposal:
Hamas would gradually surrender its weapons over several years but would not commit to handing over its heavy weaponry.
Arab states would pay millions of dollars in “retirement compensation” to Hamas officials who would be replaced by a technocratic committee.
Israel would commit to a long-term ceasefire, including an end to targeted killings in the Gaza Strip. The IDF would remain in the Yellow Line security zone but would gradually evacuate certain areas.
The assumption is that Hamas has been decimated to the point where surrender might be realistic. I don’t buy this because Hamas isn’t a political structure, it’s a religious one. It is fanatical. They’ve had in place for decades a state subsidy that pays families to send their children to slaughter. Where Israel affixes posters of its IDF soldiers lost in battle, Gazans affix posters of their “martyrs” to every public service. The more the martyrs kill, the greater the reverence for them.
It’s not cynical to ask whether this is just another hudna, an Arabic term for a temporary truce that allows for rearmament.
Additionally, the details include allowing governance by the “Palestinian” Authority. In no way is this workable. The PA is entirely corrupt, has lost vast support with Muslims in the two territories, and would be displaced by Hamas entirely if the PA allowed for elections since Hamas was elected in 2006. Since October 7th Hamas’s popularity has only grown, particularly in Judea and Samaria, which westerners call the “West Bank.” The idea that the power structure of the PA would temper Hamas is just ignorance of the political landscape in this region. Hamas would still run the show.
I’m not exactly sure what led to this sudden proposal or negotiation. Hamas itself is cagey about answering to aspects of it and the Israelis haven’t confirmed discussing it or supporting it in any publicly available reporting. It’s expected to be a main topic of discussion at the President’s Camp David meeting today. We can only watch and see.
Egypt, Qatar, & Turkey as Mediators in Gaza. Was North Korea unable to join the group of mediators?
Has no one studied the centuries of Islamist history? Does no one understand the demands of the pedofile prophet? Fourteenth century Catherine of Siena had a clearer view and deeper understanding than our leaders, religious and secular do today of Islam.