Israel must emerge victorious.

Israel’s Right ​to​ Self-Defense: Let Israel Win

Less than a week has passed ​since‍ Israel launched a ground campaign ⁣in the Gaza Strip, and already there are calls for a ceasefire. Not only should these calls be⁣ ignored. They should be denounced.

Why? Because calls for a ceasefire reward barbarism. The ⁣usual double ⁢standard is hard at work: Hamas terrorists⁢ spent years planning the murder of more ⁣than⁣ 1,400 Jews on October 7, and‍ Hamas terrorists continue to hold hundreds of captives, including Americans, while shelling⁣ Israel‍ with indiscriminate​ rocket fire. ‍Yet it is somehow Israel’s responsibility to⁤ exercise self-restraint.

This interpretation of the situation is entirely backward. Hamas ⁣could end ‌all this tomorrow⁣ if it released the hostages, put down its arms, and surrendered. Hamas, ⁢not⁤ Israel, is the aggressor. Hamas, not Israel, is the “occupier” of the Gaza Strip. Hamas, not Israel, rejects international law. Hamas, not Israel, steals food, fuel, and‌ water ‌from civilians. And the fact that these‌ words need to be written at all is evidence that the culture-producing institutions of the West—the media, the universities, cultural and political⁣ celebrities—are irreparably broken.

A ‍ceasefire would be worse than useless. If Israel were​ to end combat operations now, with Hamas in control of the Gaza Strip and captives hidden in the‍ maze of tunnels‍ known as the Gaza Metro, then⁢ the⁤ terrorists will score a remarkable victory.​ Harassment and attacks on Jews worldwide‍ will surge.

Hamas will regroup. Its strategy of using civilians as pawns in a chess match for global opinion will have proven effective once again. Its ranks will swell. It will plot its next ​move. “The Al-Aqsa Deluge”—Hamas’s name for its October 7 crime against humanity—”is just the first⁤ time,”⁤ Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas factotum, said on Lebanese television the other day. “And there will be a second, a third, a fourth.”

Hamad’s words reinforce the ⁣lesson of October 7: You cannot maintain a ceasefire against homicidal maniacs with genocidal intent.‌ Since 2007, Israel believed that⁤ Hamas could be bought off, that the price ​of détente was‌ rocket fire and intermittent conflict to “mow the ⁢lawn” of terrorists. Détente was ‌an illusion. Hamas used ​the pause between⁤ wars to ⁤plan the worst terrorist attack in‌ Israel’s history. Hamas will ‍do ​so again if given⁢ the chance.

Israel won’t ‍give it the chance—unless outside pressure‍ forces Israel to halt prematurely. Unfortunately, as I write, the pressure on​ Israel is intense. The cretins at⁣ the United Nations want a‍ ceasefire. So-called peace activists have similar demands. American campuses are‌ rife with pro-Hamas and anti-Semitic voices.

The socialist “Squad” ⁣of Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives⁢ defame AIPAC​ and the pro-Israel community while regurgitating Hamas ⁤propaganda. Bureaucrats in the State​ Department and the White House are livid at President Biden for supporting a democratic nation’s right to ⁣self-defense. Democratic strategists worry that Biden’s commitment to Israel might cost him votes in Michigan, throwing the election to Donald Trump.

And Biden‌ is starting to crack. At ⁤an event in Minnesota on Wednesday, a deranged heckler screamed at Biden to⁤ impose a ​ceasefire.‍ Biden⁣ could ‍have ⁢stayed silent. He could have told off the heckler⁤ by detailing Hamas’s evil—yes, evil—acts and by saying America will stand with Israel in‍ this‍ existential struggle. Instead he told the crowd that “I think we ​need a pause. A pause means give time to get the prisoners out.” That is the message Secretary of⁢ State Antony Blinken will⁣ convey‍ to Prime Minister ⁢Benjamin Netanyahu.

Let’s not play this game of international telephone. A ⁣”pause” is nothing ⁣less than a short-lived ceasefire. And for Biden, ⁢a mini-ceasefire is an ‌excuse. It ⁣is his way of playing for time, of getting the Left off his back. It won’t work. There have ⁢been pauses ⁣in the fighting to‌ allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Hamas​ steals the aid ⁢and uses it for its war machine. There have been pauses to ⁢let civilians in‍ Gaza evacuate to ⁣the southern part ⁣of the Strip or, in select cases, transit the Rafah crossing into Egypt. Hamas won’t let people leave. Since October 7,​ Hamas has released five hostages. Hundreds ‌are still in captivity—including ‌ 32 children. The youngest is​ nine months old. Nine months.

Hamas doesn’t need a pause to⁤ “get the prisoners ⁢out.” It needs a conscience.⁣ And it needs to pay.

If Biden appeases the Left, if he persuades Israel to relent before every hostage is accounted ⁣for and before‌ Hamas and ‍its enablers no longer exist as a coherent force,⁢ then the Middle East and the world will grow immeasurably⁢ more ‍dangerous. Iran will be emboldened. Its meticulously constructed “ring of fire” surrounding‌ Israel will​ remain⁤ intact. Hezbollah will ⁣be in​ reserve. ⁢And Israel ​will be​ demoralized.

That is​ precisely the wrong outcome. Trauma and ‌travesty have united Israeli society ‌around a common purpose: the end of the terrorist organization that‍ committed the worst crime against Jews since the‍ Holocaust. And while President Biden has supported Israel,​ he has also taken pains to​ remind the Jewish state, like it is some sort of a wayward pupil, to “uphold the laws of war,” protect civilian lives, and periodically suspend ‌its military campaign according to an arbitrary ‍timetable.‌ The implication is that Israel is not obeying international law or doing everything in its power to avoid civilian casualties. And ⁣that‍ implication is insulting.

Why not try a different strategy? Why not ‌say that​ Israel has every right to protect itself, that Hamas is responsible ​for every ⁢life lost, and ​that America will stand with Israel until the job is done? ‌No more equivocation.⁤ No more⁢ dithering. No more ‍obedience ‌to the politically correct. Let Israel win.

How has Israel demonstrated ‌restraint in its response to Hamas ​aggression?

Com/politics/inside-politics/let-israel-win/”>Americans. Hamas will ⁢exploit any pause in the fighting ⁤to further its agenda ⁣of terror and destruction.

Israel, on the other hand, has a ⁣right⁣ to defend itself. It has a right to protect its citizens ⁢from relentless rocket attacks and⁢ terrorist⁣ threats. The‍ Israeli⁤ Defense⁢ Forces have shown ⁢remarkable ⁤restraint in their ⁢response to Hamas aggression. Precision airstrikes, targeted assassinations, and now‌ a ground ⁣campaign have been carefully executed to ‌minimize⁢ civilian casualties. Israel has even⁤ warned residents of targeted ​buildings to evacuate before ⁣striking, a level ⁣of caution⁣ rarely seen in any other conflict.

But while Israel exercises self-restraint,​ Hamas⁤ continues to use innocent Palestinians ⁣as human shields. It deliberately places rocket launchers in ⁤civilian areas, schools,‌ and hospitals, using the people of Gaza as cover for⁢ its ‌terrorist activities. This is ⁣a war ‌crime, and yet the‌ international community⁢ remains largely silent.

Israel’s goal is ⁣not to eradicate the Palestinian people or ‍to occupy the Gaza Strip. Its ‍goal is to‌ dismantle the terrorist infrastructure that‌ threatens‌ its security and ⁤the safety of its​ citizens. Hamas, on the other hand, seeks ⁢the destruction of Israel ⁢and the genocide of the ⁢Jewish people. These are not equal ​sides ⁣in a conflict. ‌Israel’s ⁢right to self-defense ⁢must be ⁤recognized and supported.

The calls ​for a ceasefire are misguided and dangerous. They ignore the fact that Hamas will never honor‌ any agreement.⁢ They reward terrorist organizations for their aggression ‌and make a mockery of‌ international law. They send a message that ⁢violence ⁣and terrorism‍ will be tolerated, while ⁤self-defense will​ be condemned.

Israel must be allowed to win. It must be given​ the space and time to dismantle Hamas, destroy its tunnels, and neutralize its rocket arsenal. Only then can a lasting peace be achieved. Only then ‍can the people of Israel and‌ Gaza live without fear.

The world must stand⁣ with Israel. It must support its right to self-defense and condemn the terrorist actions of ⁣Hamas. It must hold Hamas accountable for its war crimes and ​demand the immediate release of all ‌hostages.

Israel’s right to⁣ self-defense is not ​negotiable. It is a fundamental principle of international law. Let Israel win, and ⁣let peace prevail.