Shalom.
The Trump administration has just unveiled its 20-point Gaza peace plan with the solemnity of a statesman and the customary swagger of the orange man child. The headlines include: hostages freed, Hamas disarmed, an international caretaker government installed. It all looks promising on paper, the kind of blueprint diplomats dream about. But we are in the Days of Awe, the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur when Jews are asked to account for themselves, to choose repentance, renewal, and life. And IMHO, the bitter truth is this: Hamas has no interest in repentance, only in repeating the cycle of violence, repeating the rejection of peace, repeating its core obsession with killing Jews rather than building a home for Palestinians.
That’s the backdrop for Andrew Fox’s timely essay, “Waiting on Hamas with bated breath.” Fox, a renowned expert on urban warfare, suggests Hamas will play the long game.
“A ceasefire means Hamas can regroup, reconstitute under the radar, even rebrand, and pivot to its next phase. Hamas will use the months and years after the end of hostilities to melt back into Gaza’s social fabric and prepare for an insurgency or revival further down the line. They also know that when the world’s media finally gets into Gaza and sees the destruction, the propaganda they can generate will increase Israel’s international condemnation. Lawfare will escalate.”
It’s a thoughtful take, and well worth your time. I have re-stacked it below.
Where I part ways with Fox is in holding out even a sliver of hope that Hamas might surprise us. In these Days of Awe, Jews believe even the most hardened heart can repent. But Hamas is not built for “teshuvah”. Its DNA is struggle, not sovereignty. Its creed is rejection, not renewal. Which is why I believe this peace plan, like the ones before it, will be met not with awe, but with scorn.
In the days ahead, leading up to Yom Kippur, Jews will search their souls and pray to be written into the Book of Life. Hamas, by contrast, seems content to scribble only in the margins of death. Trump may bring twenty points to the table, but Hamas has never managed to honor even ten commandments.
I really hope I am wrong. We need to bring the hostages home.
Be safe everyone.
Brad out.
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