Israel-Gaza: there has to be a wider answer

We are right to call for a ceasefire. The alternative is to support mass bombing of civilians amongst whom Hamas hides. However, we should do that as people who are seriously in favour of Israeli self defence.

Hamas wants to destroy Israel, any Israel. It wants to do to all Israelis what it did to 1,400 of them.

There are perhaps, tens of thousands of Hamas hiding in the civilian population. There is more than an Israeli decision to it.

They should get out? Yes, in principle. But effective Gaza independence has led to the rule of Islamic clerical fascism, and the horrible events in Israel of a month ago and to the present 200 Israeli hostages (those of them who haven’t been killed).

The fundamental truth is that there will be a regional solution or none. Israel is at fault for not using its strength to find such a solution and instead replying to Islamist terror attacks in Israel with the terrible things it is doing in Gaza. As Bernie Sanders puts it, “there’s got to be a better way” than indiscriminate killing of Palestinian civilians in order to get at the Hamas that chooses to hide amongst them.

Any “demand” on Israel — even if it does come from legitimate horror at Israeli bombing and the belief that what it is doing will not eliminate Hamas — any demand that it gives a free hand to Hamas is nonsense. Reactionary nonsense. No state would do that. Only its inveterate enemies, or active supporters of its enemies would “demand” that it should.

Only outright supporters of its enemies will back such demands. (Socialist Worker backed Hamas against the PLO in its 2007 coup that split the West Bank and Gaza).