Shabbat Shalom!
Yesterday we learned that the great Satan, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by a few Israeli grunts on a routine operation in Rafah. After an IDF infantry drone picked up movement in a building, near to where the six hostages were murdered, gunfire was exchanged and a tank shell lit up the building killing three terrorists. One of those killed was a Hamas field commander, and then, the young rookies fresh out of boot camp, realized that Sinwar was also one of their victims. Ding dong the despicable Devil is dead!
Even before the DNA evidence confirmed the kill, there were celebrations all over Israel, including announcements through loudspeakers on the beaches filled with Israelis celebrating the holiday. And around the globe, many celebrated along with Israel, while others more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, mourned the murderer’s demise. That latter group should take stock in his actual legacy: death and destruction brought upon his own people.
Without a doubt, the civilized world is a much better place without Sinwar: a blood-thirsty tyrannical butcher who made cannon fodder of his own people in the name of Allah, and who spent billions building a terrorist tunnel network instead of investing in the communities and people he claimed to be fighting for. The campus clowns and institutional Left in the West really ought to be ashamed of their craven cowardice, not least because, if Sinwar had succeeded in his nightmarish vision of bringing the West down, these leftists would have been among the first to face the Hamas firing squad. There is no question that Sinwar and his psychopathic sycophants despised their ‘liberal’ views; he was merely goading them as useful idiots for his own blood-soaked cause. And that is another part of Sinwar’s hateful legacy: a looney wing of the left that has completely lost its moral compass, a left that fawns over the likes of Ta-nehisi Coates, a Jew hater who is not sure he would have resisted joining in with Hamas in the butchering of innocent people. Un-fucking believable.
Given the history in the middle east of a long line of Palestinian militant leaders assassinated by Israel, one could argue that Sinwar is just another in that line, and someone else, including his more insidious brother, will take his place. I remember when everyone thought Yassar Arafat, the former PLO leader, said NO to a two state solution and then stamped that decision with the second intifada that cost the lives of over 1,400 innocent Israeli citizens. At that time, Arafat was considered by many to be the most evil man on earth, but upon reflection, he now seems like a tame diplomat by today’s standards. Others argue that, no matter how moral or defensible Israel’s response might be, the death of Palestinian citizens from Israel’s response will just create another generation of terrorists that will eventually repeat the horrors of October 7. But I have never bought into that argument since history tells us that, yes, we can eradicate evil with war as proven with the Nazis, and ISIS, and other evil organizations. We fight against evil not because we “win” but because it’s the right thing to do. There is no excuse for confusion.
So, is Sinwar just another notch in the Israeli Palestinian leader hit squad? Should Israel keep fighting until the very last Hamas thug is dead? I think not.
This time, I think there is a deal to be done. For the first time in a while, I find myself agreeing with Tom Friedman of the NYT, who in this morning’s OpEd articulated a plausible outcome as follows:
The broad idea is for the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, to agree to appoint the economist and former P.A. prime minister Salam Fayyad — or someone of his sterling reputation for incorruptibility — as the new Palestinian prime minister to lead a new technocratic cabinet and reform the Palestinian Authority, root out corruption and upgrade its governance and security forces.
Such a reformed Palestinian Authority would then formally ask for — and participate in — an international peacekeeping force that would include troops from the U.A.E., Egypt, possibly other Arab states and maybe even European nations. This force would be phased in to replace the Israeli military in Gaza. The Palestinian Authority would then be responsible for rebuilding Gaza with relief funds provided by Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and other Arab Gulf states, Europeans and most likely the U.S.
A reformed Palestinian Authority, with massive Arab and international funds, would attempt to restore its credibility in Gaza, and the credibility of its core Fatah organization in Palestinian politics — and sideline the remnants of Hamas.
But, this potential breakthrough in diplomacy can only happen if there is the political will and courage in Israel to agree on this solution. I think the death of Sinwar and the release of all hostages will be enough for the average Israeli to get past the trauma of October 7, and support a peace plan that secures Israel and advances formal recognition and relationships with Saudi Arabia, UAE, and potentially others. But Bibi and his right flank pose a bigger challenge. And here is where we need to appeal to Bibi’s ego and potential legacy. Bibi, who sees himself as some kind of Churchillian historic figure, must step up here and risk his coalition for the sake of the country. He should do this with the tacit agreement that he be pardoned for the stupid corruption charges that seem like petty stuff compared to what we deal with here in the US. And the nut jobs on his right flank, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, in particular, should then be marginalized to the fringes of government, as they used to be.
Lastly, the battle does not end there. Iran and its proxies need to be isolated and de-fanged as well. Western civilization will continue to be threatened by jihadists who only live to kill Jews and bring down the west. The US needs to stop its nonsensical policy of appeasement with Iran which began under the Obama administration and continues to this day. A majority of Iranian citizens want a relationship with Israel, a historic friend, and want the mullahs and IRG gone. And we must reform the UN by getting rid of UNWRA and stopping some of the nonsense emanating from some UN leaders that have no business being in leadership positions.
Sounds like fantasy land. But the time is right for a big solution to an even bigger problem. This is one of those moments in history where great men and great women have an opportunity to make a significant and historic difference. The next few weeks will be interesting. Let’s hope Bibi can restore the trust of Israelis, bring the hostages home, and bring a new peace to a war-torn land. Otherwise, for Israel and the middle east, it’s lather, rinse and repeat.
Brad out.
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