President Donald J. Trump risks discrediting himself as a master of bluster whose threats can be safely ignored when the stakes are high. The implications extend far beyond the Middle East: Antifa, Democrats, China, North Korea, Iran, Mexico, Venezuela, Russia, and even U.S. allies like Taiwan and Israel are watching closely as the president retreats in the face of Hamas calling his bluff.
Writing in Israel National News, Dr. Avi Perry characterizes Hamas's “yes, but" response as a thinly disguised “No."
Dr. Perry's analysis identifies Hamas response resting on “three pillars of refusal”:
- Hamas refuses to disarm.
- Hamas refuses to release all hostages within 72 hours.
- Hamas refuses to leave Gaza.
As Dr. Perry notes: “The message is unmistakable — Hamas intends to continue ruling Gaza, not as administrators of civilian life, but as the self-appointed vanguard of permanent war.”
President Trump forcefully declared that Hamas’ only alternative to his proposal is “complete obliteration.” Israel, with U.S. support, stands ready to execute this threat. Now that Hamas has rejected the Trump proposal, integrity in negotiation and diplomacy demands that the U.S. and Israel proceed with Hamas' complete obliteration.
Any worthwhile deal requires two conditions: (1) all participants fully intend to honor their commitments, and (2) the deal is better than no deal. A “deal” should never be pursued simply for its own sake.
In this case, obliterating Hamas was always preferable to any deal. Now that Hamas has rejected the proposal, the obliteration of the terrorist group must proceed.
