Trump’s Hamas ‘deal’ rests on dangerous wishful thinking
by Cal Thomas · The Washington TimesOPINION:
President Trump and members of his administration are (pick your metaphor) whistling past the graveyard, engaging in wishful thinking or deluding themselves into believing a demon can be transformed into an angel.
The Trump administration has announced that a “deal” has been reached between the terrorist group Hamas, which has occupied the Gaza Strip for years, and Israel — a deal that would lead to Hamas’ disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the strip.
What would supposedly follow is a rebuilding of Gaza, which has been reduced to rubble. Much of the world and its media blame Israel for the destruction and deaths of civilians, but Hamas is at fault because its fighters hide among civilians and store and fire rockets from civilian areas. Let us not forget, though some apparently have forgotten, Oct. 7, 2023, when 1,200 people were killed in Israel by Hamas, and 251 were abducted as hostages. Some were raped and many tortured, according to those who managed to escape or be exchanged for terrorists held in Israeli prisons. Some have linked this day of terror to a modern Holocaust.
Israel has remained silent about the proposed deal. I will not. Some things bear repeating many times, so it will sink in. Hamas and the rest of the terrorist gangs go by different names, but all have the same goal: the destruction of Israel (for starters). Hamas has a charter that has never been revoked or even amended.
People who want to have their eyes and minds opened can Google “Hamas Charter” and read it for themselves, but here are the highlights. Since its founding in 1988, Hamas’ No. 1 goal has been and remains Israel’s complete destruction. It has not modified or changed that objective. Hamas wants Israel to be replaced by an Islamic Palestinian state, stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. That is what those chants, “From the river to the sea,” on college campuses and street demonstrations are about.
The conflict is rooted in the religious doctrine and political ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, which holds that God has commanded them to do these things, including the aforementioned Oct. 7 attacks.
Hamas promotes and encourages antisemitism, including extreme antisemitic language and conspiracy theories regarding global influence.
In what should be obvious to the Trump administration, Hamas has consistently rejected peace talks and the recognition of Israel’s right to exist.
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This should make any talk of negotiations a nonstarter. Even if Hamas agrees to meet with the administration and Israeli officials, any such meeting will not be serious, given the stated goals in its charter. Why are we even considering playing this losing game?
It is the same with Iran, whose ayatollahs and other leaders share the same objectives as Hamas.
Worldview is everything. Many people believe we are all alike and that all grievances can be settled when people are sincere enough. Not true. Just as deluded Americans think socialism is good, people who think Hamas will ever lay down its weapons and reach a peace deal with Israel are playing into the hands of our — and Israel’s — enemies.
To repeat, our enemies do not think the way Westerners do. If they did, they would act and think like us. That is why imposing our morality onto those who do not share it is a recipe for disaster.
Got it? Or must I repeat myself?
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• Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book, “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (Humanix Books).
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