Earlier this month, international aid began flowing into the Gaza Strip. More than a billion dollars have been pledged. Qatar and Egypt, the Biden administration and the United Nations are all keen to move as quickly as possible to rebuild the buildings that were destroyed during Hamas’ last missile offensive against Israel in May.
Over a 10-day period in May, Hamas shot approximately 4,500 missiles, rockets and mortars at Israel, targeting its population centers from the Gaza border to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. In response, Israel targeted Gaza’s missile stores, launch sites, communications hubs and subterranean military infrastructure.
According to Hamas, Israel Defense Forces bombings caused a bit less than half a billion dollars in damage. So if the pledges for assistance are honored, Hamas will not only cover its losses—it will be rewarded for its aggression.
In the meantime, anti-Israel congressional Democrats nearly capsized approval of supplemental funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense batteries. Were it not for the Iron Dome system, which intercepted most of Hamas’ projectiles before they reached their targets, Israel would have sustained massive loss in life and property. The 10-day campaign would have rapidly escalated into a full-blown land war.
There might be an argument to be made for rewarding Hamas for its wanton aggression against Israel if there were any reason to believe that Hamas might consider changing its ways—if Hamas announced that it planned to abandon its war against the Jewish state and seek peace instead. But the opposite is the case. Hamas remains dead-set on its goal of not only annihilating Israel, but of carrying out a genocide of the bulk of Israel’s 6.5 million Jews and then subjugating any survivors. Moreover, the outcome of Hamas’ aggression against Israel last spring has convinced the terror regime that such a goal is within plausible reach.
This conviction was the rationale for a triumphant conference that the Hamas regime sponsored in Gaza on September 30. The conference, held in conjunction with the Palestinian NGO Promise of the Hereafter Institute, was titled, “Promise of the Hereafter: Post-Liberation Palestine.” Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar chaired the proceedings. The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) translated the concluding statement. The MEMRI report is worth reading in full, but a few points stand out.
The purpose of the conference was to determine how to administer “Palestine” after Israel is destroyed and disappears. Participants agreed that upon Israel’s destruction, non-Muslims in “Palestine” will be ruled by the Pact of Umar. The Pact of Umar was concluded around 637, with the fall of Byzantine-held Jerusalem to Muslim conquerors. The Pact sets out the conditions under which non-Muslims are permitted to live under Islamist rule.
Click HERE to read more.
- What happens when children seize the wheel - April 18, 2024
- The Biden administration’s war against the government of Israel - April 4, 2024
- The triumph of the blood libel - March 26, 2024