THERE IS A SHORT WINDOW FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, CONCERNED PARTIES SHOULD GRAB IT WITH BOTH HANDS

Exactly a year today, the terror organization Hamas struck terror in the hearts of Israelis. Over 1200, mostly innocent people were murdered in cold blood in the most barbaric way. The evil wrecked by Hamas reminds us of the evil we are capable of as humans if we think there will not be any form of accountability. The attack is condemned in all of its forms. Such should never happen again. My heart goes out to families mourning dead family members, and those still waiting for their families taken hostage to return to them alive.

 

Since then, the Israeli army has unleashed terror of their own on Hamas, in the process killing so many innocent Palestinians in an attempt to exterminate Hamas, and their own terror continues, mostly on innocent Palestinians. Israel engaged in what some called genocide by cutting off water, food, power, internet, and major resources to over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza. The world has condemned the way Israel is prosecuting the war because they have been "throwing away the baby with the bath water." Over 41,000 Palestinians have died and Israel has refused to stop the killing to eliminate a few members of Hamas that remain. IDF has broken many rules of engagement, and mostly the world has not amplified this enough - only talk and no action to stop the carnage. This should never be...If America had prosecuted the Afghan and Iraq wars the way Israel is prosecuting its wars, America would have ended the wars quickly but would have lost its moral compass and many of its enemies like Russia and China would have used similar tactics in dealing with their antagonists. Evil can never be used to re-write evil. It will yield more evil. 

 

The effort to stop the war and have a permanent cease-fire has failed because both Netayanhu-led IDF and Hamas leadership will not agree to terms.

 

What many continue to marvel at is how Hamas could have caught Israel off guard, and wreck havoc for hours without a strong and quick pushback on Oct 7. Many question how Israel, which has displayed a mastery of combat and intelligence, could have missed the planning by Hamas. They monitor every flow of information within the rank and file of the Hamas organization and have moles among their most trusted members who are corrupt. The way Israel has decimated Hamas and Hezbollah tells the world that they know what is going on in the bedroom of their enemies, how did they miss this attack remains a misery? The way Israel is executing the war against their enemies in precise terms shows a nation that has a master plan. Some say that the Hamas attack was missed deliberately as an excuse to get the outcome we are seeing. If that is the case, there is danger brewing in the Middle East. It is on the verge of a massive war if the crossfire with Iran continues. The world will suffer its consequences because of the strategic location of Iran and the US connection to Israel.

 

Here is the warning. Before October 7, there were issues of apartheid, murder, land grabbing, discrimination, and oppression of the Palestinian people. There were also activities of Iran-proxies constantly shooting rockets into Israel. Western media has not reported much of the high-handedness of Israel in Gaza and the West Bank but often amplifies the activities of Hamas and Hezbollah. Many Western media did not report on the apartheid - the two judiciary systems in the West Bank - one for the Jewish settlers (civil) and the other (military) for Palestinians. The homes of any family member of Hamas caught are demolished to the ground and they are removed - this is a standard protocol by the Israeli government when a Hamas member is caught even if the rest of the family had no knowledge of their activities. Israel continues to grab more lands in the West Bank in violation of the Oslo accord that made Obama the enemy of Netanyahu. The Israeli settlers frequently kill Palestinians who resist, and many of them are not prosecuted. These are among many atrocities committed by Israel in the West Bank. Gaza before Oct 7 was the world's largest prison camp that was guarded on every side of the border, except inside which Hamas controlled. The chief of the problem is the deadlock around a TWO-STATE SOLUTION. The current Israel government wanted Palestinians to become Israeli citizens by force and under constant policing. This is the experiment they have carried out in the West Bank for years that has failed. Many did not know that the Israeli government deliberately allowed Hamas to thrive in Gaza against the Kangaroo-toothless Palestinian government in the West Bank that has not held an election in over 18 years for fear of losing to Hamas. It was alleged that the Israeli government indirectly funded Hamas to ensure divide and rule. There are Hamas-like people within the Israeli government who share the same mindset as Hamas, the elimination of all their enemies, including their offspring to ensure there is no future threat. Both have no place in civil society. The war in Gaza, and now southern Lebanon, has created a lot of anger in the Arab world. No amount of bombing will kill the quest of Palestinians for a free state where they decide their own fate and future that is not controlled and gauged by Israel. If these terrorist organizations are driven underground, there is a risk they will become more vicious., and there is a danger that October 7 or worse could occur. There is an opportunity now for Israel to consolidate their victories and negotiate peace. The only solution to the Israel-Palestine saga is a two-state solution. Netanyahu should throw into the garbage the idea that he can force Palestinians to become Israelis where they are second-class citizens. Let Israel give Palestinians what they want, and if they continue to attack Israel, then the world should bond together to flush out Hamas and their backers.