Those calling for a ceasefire in Gaza are doubtless well-intentioned but I think they would maybe look at the issue differently if they had to walk in the shoes of the Israelis for a bit.
The Israelis know that if they agree to a permanent ceasefire, without first eliminating Hamas or getting its unconditional surrender, it will only face attacks in the years to come along the lines of that which occurred on Oct. 7.
If that were happening to those calling for a ceasefire, I can’t help thinking that they would certainly be addressing the issue from a different perspective.
I believe they would be following the same path the Israelis have taken: Wage war until the threat is eliminated.
That is exactly what happened during the Second World War. Nobody on our side was calling for a ceasefire as the Allies bombed the hell out of Germany and Japan, ending it all by dropping a couple of nuclear bombs on Japan three months after the Germans’ unconditional surrender.
The war started when Nazi Leader Adolf Hitler launched a sneak attack on Poland and the Americans were pulled into the war when Japan launched a sneak attack on Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, Hawaii at the time being an organized incorporated territory of the United States.
The attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7 was also a sneak attack.
I don’t see a problem with the Israelis responding as the Allies did, going all out with the ultimate goal being the unconditional surrender and/or elimination of Hamas.
Countless others, of course, don’t seem to see it that way.
More than 150 countries under the United Nations umbrella voted recently in favour of a resolution, which did not mention the Hamas attack, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Canada was among them, voting as it did on a similar resolution a couple of months back.
However, at that time Bob Rae, Canada’s permanent UN envoy, sought to rectify that resolution with an amendment that “unequivocally rejects and condemns” the attacks while demanding the “immediate and unconditional” safe release of all hostages.
“We in this assembly have an obligation to name two things not mentioned in the draft resolution,” Rae said in his impassioned response in the UN’s cavernous assembly hall.
“The organization that bears responsibility for those events and its consequences, and the deliberate cruelty of the murders, and the hostage-taking, that is still under way.
“Our amendment does just that. No more and no less.”
The amendment failed.
My comment at the time was that rather than an amendment, Rae should have been put forward separately his resolution condemning the Hamas attack. It would have had a better chance of passing that way because, with the horrifying facts that would accompany it, it would have been hard for any legitimate country to reject.
Canada did not put forward an amendment this time but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a joint statement with the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand in which they condemned Hamas, called for the terrorist group to lay down its arms and said it should have no role in any future Palestinian government.
The statement, of course, was toothless in that the three countries supported the UN resolution, which, minus its condemnation, was also toothless, And Trudeau’s inclusion in the statement certainly did not placate Israeli Ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed.
He was quoted in the National Post as saying the UN resolution completely ignores the reality that Hamas is not looking for a peaceful resolution and makes no mention of the horrific attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
“I’m deeply disappointed with the support that Canada has given to this resolution that does not call out Hamas for its horrendous acts of terrorism against Israelis and does not address the root cause of the situation,” he said.
Several Liberal MPs said they were disappointed in the government’s vote at the UN although they made clear it would not fracture the party.
The resolution also called for the release of all hostages and humanitarian access for Gaza.
I can understand the call for humanitarian access to Gaza but the call for the release of the hostages is a laugher.
The hostages are the only bargaining chip the Hamas terrorists have. They aren’t about to just give them up.
More than 1,200 people were killed during the Hamas attack and 240 were kidnappped. The Hamas-led health ministry says that roughly 18,000 Palestinians have died following Israel’s military response in Gaza.
And it is far from over, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently saying it could take months to being the war to conclusion.
Conventional wisdom seems to say that the answer to all that is going on is to give the Palestinians statehood but I wonder how that would actually come about. After all, they haven’t been able to put this together in 75 years so it obviously isn’t going to be easy.
And if it is going to happen, surely the Israelis must abandon their settlement incursions into the West Bank, leaving it totally in Palestinian hands.
As for the war with Hamas, if Canada turned out to be a terrorist haven and a thorn in the side of the U.S., how long do you think it would take the Americans to act against us?
The answer, my friends, is that every major city in this country would be levelled within a week.
I supply this thought in the hope that it adds a little perspective to the situation Israel faces with Hamas.
To do as you say Doig will mean that all hostages will be sacrificed. No one wants to say that but to eliminate Hammas the prisoners will be forgotten and eventually killed by Hamass if they don’t starve first.