Is there a solution for Gaza?

Frustrated by the lack of a clear and articulated plan for the day after the Gaza war ends, Yaakov Katz, former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, in his weekly Friday column, joins the long line of critics who bemoan the vacuum that will inevitably be created once Hamas has been obliterated, if, God willing, we succeed in meeting that goal.

In his article, entitled, “Lack of leadership is undermining the Gaza War,” he states, “Defense Minister Yoav Gallant finally spoke up about what senior officers in the IDF have been warning about for months: without a political plan, the military plan will keep getting stuck. If Israel had been willing, from the beginning of the war, to coordinate with another force to fill the vacuum that it was creating, the whole situation might have looked different today… articulating a plan would have also shown the world that the IDF offensive is not just about destruction but, rather, part of something bigger.”

While all this may be true, who is willing to step up and get into the fray? There is certainly no long line of prospective sponsoring countries or governments, short of those who advance terrorism, that are interested in taking on the heavy responsibility of managing the impossible task of Gaza. Because it would entail making sure Gazans are gainfully employed, granting them freedom, educating their children in something other than hatred and the blessing of martyrdom, as well as doing everything possible to maintain a peaceful co-existence with its bordering neighbor of Israel.

It would not include facilitating the smuggling of weapons, restoring the myriad of underground tunnel networks, using their people as human shields or providing summer training camps for children to learn how to battle the Jewish enemy.

So where are the European Union members or the countries who look to the international courts at the Hague to administer justice on behalf of Palestinians? Where are the finger-wagging politicians or the human rights organizations which hold Israel responsible for all the ills of the Gazan people, without casting one iota of blame upon their brutal Hamas overseers? Not one of them is cutting in line or chomping at the bit to partner with Israel as those who will ensure a good, safe and prosperous life for the very same, over whom tears are being shed!

Perhaps, well-known political commentator Douglas Murray articulates it best when he says, “Muslims do not love other Muslims. They have no love for the Palestinian people. None! If they had any, the Jordanians would have taken in the West Bank Palestinians, Egyptians would have taken in the territory they used to run, Gaza, and they would have taken in the Palestinians from Gaza. Why have the Egyptians made sure that not one Palestinian is allowed to leave Gaza? Why do they make sure that their border wall is as tough as anything? What do they mind? One thing – Jews living and Jews winning. It hits them deep in their soul, in their psyche. It’s an ancient hatred, perhaps the most ancient among the monotheisms – the deepest, the ugliest and the nastiest that has been least addressed, and we’ve imported it.”

Who can argue with his logic? The most natural thing would be for Jordan or Egypt to coalesce around this problem in order to find a workable solution, together with Israel so that a decades-old thorn in the side of everyone can finally be resolved. What good are tears if no one cares enough about the alleged pain suffered by people who are perennially used as pawns in the game of how to stick it to the Jews?

But Jordan and Egypt have not been part of the obvious answer. To the contrary, they have done everything within their power to make sure that the conflict and the ensuing mess, which inevitably follows war, remain the heavy burden on the shoulders of Israel. After all, why dirty their hands?

Katz is correct in his assessment that “Netanyahu’s government preferred to bury its head in the sand and chose populistic slogans, rather than filling the void, causing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to finally speak up, stating that the two options which remain are either Hamas returns to rule Gaza or the IDF remains inside and rules the territory.”

But why just those two options? Won’t somebody state the obvious – that no one cares enough about Gazans to lend a helping hand? Why are the nations of the world being allowed to get off scot-free? Shouldn’t their hypocrisy be shouted from the rooftops rather than continuing to heap blame upon Israel which tried to offer them employment, send them humanitarian assistance and even explore ways to help them develop a thriving economy through what could have potentially become a hot spot for tourism?

How were we rewarded for our efforts? By Oct. 7, the government of Gaza invaded our sovereign space, perpetrated a brutal massacre and then brought back our innocent hostages to their main squares so that the Gazan people could cheer their demise, spit on them and further taunt and degrade them. 

Maybe people who do such things are undeserving of the world’s help, but for those who lament their plight, considering them to be nothing more than unfortunate victims, let’s hear their clever ideas of how to bring resolution and a peaceful end to this baffling dilemma which is purposely ongoing. The loudest voices who object to Israel’s handling of this issue, are waiting to be heard by those of us who have tried year after year, put in the work but who have still come up empty. What would you do differently? Please speak up!

Sadly, we all know that there is no magic formula, no easy fix, because Gazan suffering and sympathy is the goal which serves to foment hatred against Israel and the Jews, by association. 

That is the ugly truth which no one wants to say out loud, because to admit that there is no solution is also to acknowledge the creation of the problem as the despicable aim which was payback for Israel becoming a successful and independent nation. 

It’s time we all admit that the only solution for Gaza is to, first and foremost, be willing to honestly confront the hatred of its people which refuses to be curbed, the savagery of its leadership, which has caused suffering for everyone and the hypocrisy and callous indifference of disingenuous advocates who feign sympathy but are not willing to help in the least.

Maybe after that, if everyone puts their heads together, a reasonable solution can be found for Gaza in order to stop all the complaints – even if it means finally letting Israel off the hook for a problem they never created in the first place!