The latest flareup with Hamas was eerily familiar with previous rounds. It seems as if it is like a sport with set rules. Hamas and Islamic Jihad fire some of their thousands of rockets into Israeli communities, extracting some casualties and damage. The Iron Dome defense system is given credit for intercepting most of the incoming rockets and the Israeli Air Force retaliates and even gets applause for its humanitarian "knock on roof" policy to save lives.
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Israel threatened a possible ground incursion but given the potential for loss of life reluctantly stayed on its side of the border. This is a script that is prepared in advance and seldom changes save for the number of rockets and the severity of the response.
At best what awaits is another ceasefire brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and others until the next round that if successful might be a year off. In the meantime, half the country is under attack, sleeping in shelters and running for their lives to make it in split seconds to sealed rooms and basements. It seems as if this has almost become the acceptable norm so long as it does not happen "too often" and the casualties are "acceptable."
Strangely, Israelis applaud when some nations, namely the United States, utter the oft-used phrase "Israel has the right to defend itself." Really? Does a sovereign nation have the right to defend itself? It is almost as absurd as those that are now protesting that the people who incessantly lob rockets into civilian areas are the "victims." Many on the left have even equated the Palestinian cause with Black Lives Matter. Not a word about the Jewish lives that are lost. In any event, when did Jewish lives ever matter, except to us who value every precious life.
In nearly a half-century of being a publicist, I have rarely seen a PR faux pas like Israel's approach to Gaza. When Israel withdrew from Gaza without so much as getting even the smallest concession, it should have at least insisted that the coastal strip be declared a demilitarized zone supervised by the United Nations. Instead, UNRWA runs a myriad of social service and educational programs and even allows some of their buildings to be used as venues for storing munitions or entrance points to their "metro" – a wide network of tunnels. This is the UN with the symbol of world peace?
Israel, instead of saying it has "the right to defend itself" should use the slogan "Demilitarize Gaza" and use every forum to tout the message. It should point out that Hamas is the greatest obstacle to peace in the region, a slogan often used by those on the left and enemies of Israel (usually antisemites) who call Israel the "major problem in the Middle East." It should use its new friends in the Gulf to drive home the message. It just so happens that these countries are amongst the biggest funders of the Hamas-led regime. Israel should call out any country that provides financial aid to Gaza if it continues in its destructive path as being against peace.
Moreover, it should turn the demilitarize theme into a humanitarian issue. It should argue that the people of Gaza deserve better. They should be given an opportunity to live a normal life and not be used as human shields. Israel should point out that the coastal strip can be transformed into an economically thriving area with industrial zones and even duty-free shops like the Cayman Islands. It should advocate for a global economic effort to help Gaza.
At first, the idea will no doubt be shot down, even laughed at by many. Others will say that it should be part of a comprehensive peace including a Palestinian state, which is always used as an excuse for violence. But Israel must relentlessly argue for a demilitarized Gaza. It might even give President Joe Biden a cause he can espouse and perhaps think about a Nobel Peace Prize. It will force the European Union to react in a way that they are not used to. Israel becomes the peace advocate while Hamas and Iran become the naysayers.
The demilitarization of Gaza as a theme should be tried because all the other approaches have failed, including the invasion of Gaza. Hamas is already recognized as a terrorist organization. They must be turned into the world's pariah and even more starved of the world's financial support.
If nothing else, it will give Israel a huge PR advantage. In many respects, Hamas won the PR war this time around as it managed to incite Arabs in Israel and in the West Bank. It got many throughout the world to rekindle the dormant Palestinian cause while Israel is left "defending" itself.
The prime minister might come to the UN and say something like this: "Nations of the world. The time has come to end the suffering for millions of people in the Gaza Strip and yes in Israel. You are sitting in a chamber that stands for world peace, but you condone an island of terrorism that every so often terrorizes whole communities by launching rockets.
"You encourage this behavior by spending billions to educate another generation that will simply grow up to launch rockets at a member state with impunity. You allow them to use your funds, your buildings, your funded personnel to perfect their craft of terror. The only solution is for this body to call for and oversee the disarming of Hamas and the permanent demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. Let us together transform the Gaza Strip into an island of tranquility, creativity, and prosperity. Enough suffering is enough!"
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