Making the Case for Demilitarizing Gaza

Ironically, it was Hamas, not Israel, that presented the most compelling case for completely demilitarizing Gaza.

Over the past few days, the international media and community have been wringing their hands over the devastation in Gaza, and have been chastising Israel for going further than needed in our attempt to stop the incessant rocket fire on Israeli civilian population centers.

The clear message behind these scoldings was that Hamas' military capabilities had already been devastated and that the continued pounding of Gaza was spiteful and punitive; serving no military purpose... while Israeli leaders insisted that we had not nearly gone far enough.

As Israel struggled to provide an adequate response to these accusations, just minutes before the 72 hour cease fire was to take effect at 8:00 AM this morning, Gaza terror groups under the command of Hamas fired dozens of missiles at communities throughout Israel in a precisely coordinated and premeditated barrage.

This cowardly attack displayed far more than just bad faith.  It demonstrated beyond all doubt that Hamas' Command & Control system remains fully functional, and that despite the destruction of the terror tunnels leading into Israel, their ability to continue striking Israel with impunity remains largely intact.

Therefore, the cornerstone of any long-term ceasefire agreement MUST be the complete demilitarization/disarmament of Hamas and its many subordinate terror groups in Gaza.  

And since the US, EU and UN all feel that Israel has been too brutal in its dealings with Gaza, and that we have been unreasonable in our monitoring of what is allowed to enter Gaza, it must be an international force that will take responsibility for carrying out the disarmament process and subsequent monitoring of all Gaza crossings to ensure no weapons or military equipment are smuggled in.

And most importantly, UNRWA, having been proven to be at best a hapless dupe, and at worst a willing partner, to Palestinian terror, must be disbanded and replaced by UNHCR which is the UN body responsible for all other refugees in the world, and can act as a reliable trustee for the millions of dollars that will soon be pouring into Gaza from around the world.  This is the only way to ensure that the aid money gets spent on improving the lives of innocent Gazans instead of being reinvested in weapons and terror infrastructure for the next, inevitable war.

The resolve of the international community will be tested over the next 72 hours.  If it is found wanting, Israel will have to go it alone and take whatever steps are necessary to provide safety and security to its citizens.