TEL AVIV—Israeli forces have taken control of much of northern Gaza—at least the parts that are above ground. Beneath the strip’s devastated urban landscape, Hamas still reigns.
The war is entering a new phase, as the Israeli military takes its fight underground and into Gaza’s legendary subterranean tunnel network.
You pick up the phone and negotiate a hostage exchange.
You say, meet us at this spot tomorrow with 10 of the oldest and youngest hostages you’ve got and we’ll do the same. If it goes well, we’ll talk about doing another exchange the next day.
That’s what Hamas wants. That’s what they’ve usually taken and returned hostages for. Hamas released two hostages so far in the weeks this has been going on. How come someone negotiated for 2 and then stopped there?
Hamas:
“No thanks. We want a war that maximizes civilian deaths for the purpose of creating a larger conflict in the region so as to bring support to the eradication of the Zionist State.”
What’s crazy about this is that regardless of whether we agree on whether Hamas would participate in a hostage exchange, you’re still acknowledging that the current response benefits them, and risks a spiral of violence that draws in the whole region or world.
I believe Hamas would agree to a small hostage exchange in a slow and drawn out manner. In the past, Israel literally used an exchange rate of 1000-1 for prisoner swaps. Hamas knows the value of hostages and won’t settle for anything close to proportional swaps. They also need to retain the hostages in order to prolong the conflict and appeal to sympathetic neighboring countries for assistance.
Netanyahu and Hamas both benefit from open conflict and neither believe in a two state solution. It’s a recipe for disaster. The best case scenario is that Israel manages to cripple Hamas, Netanyahu is removed from office, and then a new Israeli Government helps to rebuild Gaza. The worst case scenario is a broad conflict in the middle-east with nuclear weapons in the mix.
Netanyahu:
“Oh good, I wanted a reason to use the military.”
You’re both right.
Nobody is the good guy here.
And Israeli response to the massacre?
After the hostages are returned on both sides, announce a resumption of the peace process coupled with an order to arrest, try, and convict the masterminds behind the attack of war crimes.
Then end the system of apartheid. Dismantle the cruel and barbaric conditions that are deliberately foisted on these people in abject poverty that offer them nothing more appealing than a satisfying death. There is already a ruthlessly cruel system of doling out rights selectively in the form of movement and work permits. Expand it to eventually provide the highest degree of permissions to everyone who passes a basic background check while new leaders on both sides negotiate a permanent peace agreement on how to cohabitate on the land.
All of this should’ve happened decades ago, but the next best time is now.