Certainly, inside hours of the Hamas invasion, Saudi Arabia issued a statement saying, in accordance with Al Arabiya community: “The dominion is intently following up on the unprecedented developments between various Palestinian factions and the Israeli occupying forces,” including that it has “repeatedly warned of the results of [the deterioration] of the scenario because of the occupation in addition to of depriving the Palestinian folks of their professional rights and of [not halting] systematic provocations in opposition to their holy [sites].”
I’m watching how the Hamas-Israel earthquake will shake up one other earthquake.
Ukraine was already coping with the temblors within the U.S. authorities. The toppling of the speaker of the Home, mixed with an more and more vocal minority of Republican lawmakers — shockingly to me — popping out in opposition to any extra financial and navy help to Ukraine has created a political mess that has resulted, for now, in no extra U.S. help for Ukraine being accredited. If Israel is about to invade Gaza and embark on an extended struggle, Ukraine should fear about competitors from Tel Aviv for Patriot missiles in addition to 155-millimeter artillery shells and different fundamental armaments that Ukraine desperately wants extra of and Israel absolutely will, too.
Vladimir Putin has seen. Final Thursday within the Black Sea resort of Sochi, he said that Ukraine was being propped up “due to multibillion donations that come every month.” He added, “Simply think about the help stops tomorrow.” Ukraine “will stay for less than per week once they run out of ammo.”
Can something good come from this horrible new Hamas-Israel struggle? It’s far too early to say, however one other longtime Israeli good friend and analyst I belief, Prof. Victor Friedman (no relation), who teaches behavioral science at Jezreel Valley Faculty in central Israel and is aware of the Israeli Arab neighborhood very properly, wrote me late right now, saying: “This horrid scenario continues to be a chance, similar to the Yom Kippur Battle turned out to be a chance that ended with a peace settlement with Egypt. The one actual victory shall be if what occurs subsequent — most likely Israel going into Gaza — creates situations for an actual, secure settlement with the Palestinians.” In mild of what the Palestinians did right now, he mentioned, they will “declare some ‘victory,’ it doesn’t matter what occurs subsequent.” The purpose is, he added, ‘Somebody must assume past extra pressure and extra pressure.”
Personally, I don’t imagine that Hamas can ever be a accomplice for a safe peace with Israel. Hamas has had approach too many probabilities for approach too a few years to show that the obligations of governing in Gaza would reasonable its aim of destroying the Jewish state. It seems to be nothing greater than a Palestinian Islamist mafia, solely in preserving its grip on Gaza and being able to function a cat’s paw for Iran as a substitute of creating its principal aim a brand new future for Palestinians there and within the West Financial institution. Its historical past of rule in Gaza is shameful.
However the Palestinian Authority is usually a accomplice. So if there may be going to be an Israeli invasion of Gaza to attempt to destroy Hamas, it needs to be paired with a political initiative that empowers and helps to strengthen that Palestinian Authority so we are able to forge, as Victor put it, “a settlement that gives all sides with one thing they will stay with. In any other case, eventually, we shall be proper again in the identical scenario — solely worse. That was the true lesson of the Yom Kippur Battle.”
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