Terms are more important than whether there's a cease-fire deal

To the editor:

It may seem counterintuitive, but reading that "some U.S. officials have grown more optimistic" about a cease-fire deal with Hamas fills me with dread.

To paraphrase former President Barack Obama, no deal is better than a bad deal. The path to the war Hamas started with its barbaric October 7 massacre was paved by the bad cease-fire deals ending the wars Hamas and other terror groups started in 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2021. It's fairly obvious that Hamas must be permanently neutralized before it will ever accept a real permanent cease-fire that won't simply lead to yet another, deadlier war.

Those truly interested in peace need to prioritize the defeat and unconditional surrender of Hamas over yet another terrorist empowering cease-fire deal.

Sincerely,

Alan Stein

The writer, formerly a long-time Connecticut resident and President Emeritus of PRIMER-Connecticut, now splits his time between Natick, Massachusetts and Netanya, Israel.

Sent to the Hartford Courant July 13, 2024

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