Monday, September 30, 2024

Ceasefire now???

(Originally published in The Times of Israel)

Israel conducted a massive targeted bombing in a Beirut neighborhood, killing Hezbollah chief Nasrallah and several Hezbollah leaders.  The world is a better place because they are gone.  The world should rejoice.

But much of the world has reservations about killing these terrorists and crippling Hezbollah.  Russia condemned Israel.  Palestinian President Abbas called for Israel’s expulsion from the U.N. Hezbollah’s sponsor and chief funder, Iran, is absolutely appalled.

Even the so-called “enlightened” world is ambivalent.  Before Nasrallah’s death but after the killing of many of his commanders and after Israel began its intense bombing of Beirut, the U.S. and France called for a 21-day truce so that negotiations could occur.

Since Nasrallah’s death the U.N. Secretary-General, as he does whenever Israel acts to defend itself, has expressed his alarm at the violence.  President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken have welcomed Nasrallah being sent on his way to his 72 virgins, but they have also said now it is time to stop fighting.

One would have hoped the President would have said now that Hezbollah is reeling from its defeats, now is the time to finish it off or at least to do as much damage as possible. Macron has called on Biden to pressure Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire, not Hezbollah and its sponsor, Iran.

One wonders why the Western leaders were so intent on a truce and negotiations prior to Nasrallah and his comrades’ demise, and one wonders why they continue to be so insistent now, despite Israel’s successes.  I don’t recall such interest in negotiations when the West was pursuing Al Qaeda and ISIS.

I argued early in the Gaza War that, when it comes to attacks by terrorist groups on Israel, the world acts as if terrorism is a normal and accepted behavior, and that negotiations are the appropriate and judicious response.

By treating the situation as normal and expected, the world encourages the terrorists to expect their terrorism to work, and it often does.  The same dynamic is now being urged on Israel by the United States and much of the rest of the “free world.”

To stop the fighting there is no need to negotiate, unless the intention is to concede something to Hezbollah.  All that is necessary is to enforce an agreement already negotiated.