Expecting Hamas to disarm voluntarily is like expecting ISIS or Al-Qaeda to renounce jihad (holy war) and become peaceful political movements.
[D]espite these repeated rejections, the "Board of Peace" continues its embarrassing efforts to negotiate with Hamas over the surrender of its weapons. The entire spectacle has become surreal. Instead of confronting Hamas with meaningful consequences, the international mediators appear to be pleading with the terrorist group to cooperate.
The mediators, especially Qatar, Egypt and Turkey -- all of which maintain direct channels with Hamas and present themselves as key brokers in the negotiations -- also deserve scrutiny. These countries, unsurprisingly, are not exerting serious pressure on Hamas to disarm.
For Hamas, armed "resistance" is not negotiable: it is the group's very reason for existence.
The failure of Trump's Gaza plan is now becoming increasingly difficult to hide.
The continued failure to enforce disarmament damages US credibility throughout the Middle East. America now appears unable to impose its own conditions even after using repeated threats and ultimatums to Hamas. America's allies are watching closely, as are Iran and its other terror proxies.
Trump's "Board of Peace" should stop humiliating itself by chasing fantasies about Hamas moderation. The longer the negotiations continue without results, the stronger Hamas appears -- and the weaker the US appears. |