Israel must end war first, show national character, move beyond mindless hunt for revenge

Hamas fires rockets. The Israel Defense Forces strike back. Innocent civilians (mostly Gazans) die. Schools and hospitals are destroyed, and the Palestinians’ homes become rubble. The casualties and destruction create trauma and rage in another generation of Palestinians, who vow to fire more rockets at Israel just as soon as they can. It’s a tragedy.

Israel should end the war now—for Israel’s sake.

Israel is a democracy, with the best-educated and most engaged citizens in the Middle East. Unlike Hamas, Israel has absolutely nothing to gain by continuing to shell civilians. And Hamas will have nothing to gain, either, if Israel doesn’t take its bait.

The current nonproportional response to the predations of Hamas is only creating more animosity toward Israel. Even the United Nations and the White House are fed up. Israel needs to demonstrate the life-affirming principles contained in its own constitution by caring for the Palestinian civilians.

Yes, Israel should not have to worry about rockets falling on their citizens’ heads. No nation should tolerate it. But the current Israeli assault in Gaza, including the horrific violence against Rafah, is an unacceptable humanitarian crisis.

The Israeli government should enlist the aid of other nations to root out the remaining tunnels and rockets. Israel, show your national character by moving beyond a mindless hunt for revenge. Do it now, before the death toll in Gaza is so great that no other nation will come to your aid.

And do it unilaterally, because bombing and killing unarmed people in pursuit of criminals is the act of a bully. Do it because it is the right thing to do, if there is ever to be peace for your nation.

The only way that any of this will end is when the rest of the world joins to support moderate voices in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. There are plenty of Israelis who do not want to bomb Palestinians, and plenty of Palestinians who do not want to push the Israelis into the sea.

The only people who say otherwise have something to gain by keeping discourse quiet and rockets flying. Nothing solidifies a group like the state of perpetual embattlement; it’s an old propaganda trick.

The community of nations—including Arab states—must assist Israel in protecting its national security, including destroying the tunnels and disarming Hamas. Recent reports indicate that the region’s Arab states—Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan—have had it with Hamas. But this also means that they must demand that the Israeli government begin to treat Palestinian civilians like human beings, not “collateral damage.”

Because what’s happening now is not working.