What should be done about Hamas?
After the brutal terrorist attack by Hamas, most press voices in Europe agree that as long as the radical Islamic group controls the Gaza Strip, peace between Israelis and Palestinians is impossible. However, it appears equally clear that the densely populated area cannot be liberated from Hamas without hitting many civilians in the process. Europe’s press deliberates.
Palestinians can only be free without it
The Palestinians should also pin their hopes on an Israeli victory against Hamas, LRT argues:
“If Gaza is freed from terrorist despotism, it could be handed over to a more moderate Palestinian administration. And if this administration stops the policy of promoting hatred against Israel, there would be a genuine opportunity to come to the negotiating table, which should lead to the recognition of a Palestinian state. ... Not just any state, but one that guarantees its citizens all their rights and freedoms. With the exception of the right to the destruction of Israel. Without this painful acceptance of reality the Palestinians will never be able to break free of the bloody cycle of hatred that is destroying them.”
The truth does not lie in the middle
The idea of proportionality is at best intellectually complacent, criticises Agnieszka Markiewicz of the American Jewish Committee in Onet.pl:
“We can no longer sit back and rant about a ‘spiral of violence’. ... Such statements suggest that there are no responsible parties, that there is no right and wrong, that the truth lies ‘somewhere in the middle’. Yet it should be clear to everyone today that Hamas, Hezbollah and their sponsors are bringing death, terror and suffering to millions of people. It should be absolutely clear that the war against Hamas is the war of all who oppose evil.”
Accept victims for the greater good
If Hamas is to be destroyed, collateral damage is unavoidable, says Jutarnji list:
“Should the prospect of the imminent deaths of children, women and elderly people stop Israel from eliminating this terrorist group that won’t stop killing Jews and foreigners in Israel and torturing its own population because it believes it has the religious right to do so? ... The attack on Hamas, with all its dreadful consequences for Gaza, can be justified if afterwards Palestinians and Israelis can define a sustainable model of coexistence from which terrorists are excluded — for the benefit of all who live in the region.”
Getting rid of the terrorists won’t solve the problem
Novinky.cz discusses the difficulties Israel faces:
“Even if Hamas were eliminated, this would not solve the Palestinian question. In a tense atmosphere exacerbated by Palestinian casualties, Hamas would be replaced by another movement that would take over its role. ... It is asking a lot to expect Palestinians to decide rationally in a mood fomented by radical leaders and to give preference to more moderate representatives. ... It is no coincidence that the former head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence service, Alex Younger, said: ‘You cannot kill all terrorists without creating more terrorists’.”
Violations of international law not an option
Only the two-state solution offers any chance of peace, Savon Sanomat is convinced:
“It’s unclear what Israel’s goal in Gaza is. If Israel wants to bomb, capture and occupy the entire Gaza Strip, what will this mean for the Palestinians? The injustices suffered by Israel do not justify violations of international law. Even if Hamas is wiped out, the seeds of terrorism will continue to germinate for generations to come if justice is not done. Only the two-state model can provide this, even if this eternal endeavour is once again being obscured by the clamour of war.”
