Hamas vs. The Israelis

As many people now know, a war has broken out between Israel and the Hamas governing Gaza. While Hamas is shooting missiles and rockets out into the cities of Israel, the Israeli militia has forced its way into Gaza to render the Hamas rocket launchers useless. Up until a week ago, Gaza and Israel were held by a six-month, Egyptian-brokered truce, under which Hamas ended attacks on Israel and Israel halted its raids in Gaza and eased its blockade on goods. Prior to the truce's end, Gaza resumed its rocket bombardment and Israel retaliated with an invasion. It has been made clear that a mere agreement between the two powers will not suffice. The U.N. proposed a cease-fire deal between the countries, but both refused. Israel stated that it would not back down until rockets stop falling on its people. The Hamas would not comply because they were angered that they were not consulted earlier, and also stated they wanted all border crossings opened before they would consider a cease-fire. Many countries, especially those in the United Nations, are now urging Israel to remove its forces from Gaza in the hopes of bringing peace to the region. I agree with those countries for many reasons. First, although Israel may be more in the "right" to fight because of Hamas' preliminary onslaught, Gaza is the area losing the most from the fighting. Rockets are landing on Israeli soil, but only thirteen Israelis have died from the rockets and combat. Seven hundred eighty Palestinians have died, with at least half of them being civilians. If Israel removes its troops, very few of their people will be lost and the relief groups that will then be safe to transport supplies to civilians in Gaza will save many Palestinian lives. If Hamas does not cease-fire after Israel removes its militia, I believe that other countries should then be able to go into Gaza and remove any threatening weapons.

As for the United States, I think that my decision will mostly impact the way other countries view us. By not immediately forcing ourselves into a country, we will show thoughtfulness in our actions and respect for the rest of the world. The United States has a foreign policy that clearly accepts the role to provide military and non-military aid to other countries in need, making it available to Gaza as a relief resource. If needed by the U.N. and other countries involved, we would be able to support a popular relief mission. The money spent removing various rocket launchers after Israel ceases-fire would be much less than it would be now, because it would now also be spent getting between the Israelis and Hamas in their battles. I believe that supporting the beliefs of other influential countries during a slightly smaller war than say, a World War, would strengthen the ties between the United States and the U.N. In the future, the U.N. might be more willing to support the United States if we support them now. In no way am I implying that the United States simply accept what the United Nations believe and do as they say to gain power and influence, but that we take the opportunity to work with them in a time that we can agree.


Sources:
Israel Ignores Europe’s Calls for a Cease-Fire in Gaza – WSJ.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123115402029453553.html

Israel and Hamas Ignore UN Call for Cease-Fire – Yahoo! News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090109/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

Rocket Kills 2 Children After Gaza Border Reopens – CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/26/israel.gaza.border/

Hamas Militants Attack Gaza Border Crossing with Bomb-Filled Cars – GlobalSecurity.org
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2008/04/mil-080419-voa03.htm