Beware of another premature end to a Gaza war

Sent to the Boston Globe on October 18, 2024

Dear Editor:

With the blessed elimination of the terrorist the Palestinian Arabs themselves years ago dubbed "The Butcher of Khan Younis," there have been loud voices proclaiming this is the opportunity to end the war Yahya Sinwar started last October 7. It would be a mistake to repeat the mistakes of the past, since how a war ends is more important than when it ends.

Each of the wars Hamas started in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2021 ended in a way that guaranteed it would be followed by another, even more deadly and destructive war. Hamas was allowed to survive and rearm, with massive amounts of "humanitarian aid" and materials meant to rebuild the civilian infrastructure in Gaza stolen by Hamas and used to build its enormous terror tunnel system. With the complicity of UNRWA and other international organizations, almost every school, hospital and mosque was turned into a Hamas base or command center. This made it impossible to fight Hamas without the destruction we all lament today.

If we want an enduring peace, if we don't want to waste billions of dollars rebuilding Gaza only to see everything destroyed a few years down the road and if we want to create an opportunity for the people in Gaza to finally live normal lives, we need to make sure this time the war ends with the total and permanent defeat of Hamas. We need to recognize that there is only one party that can be trusted to make sure Hamas doesn't resurrect itself and again cause death and devastation in Gaza: Israel.

Sincerely,

Alan Stein

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