The much-talked-about “two-state solution” that was believed to be the key to peace in the Middle East has never truly existed. The Muslim Arabs in regions like Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon have consistently shown no interest in coexisting peacefully with Israel. Their ultimate goal has always been to eliminate every Jewish person living in the area.
We know this is true because they are continually saying exactly that.
It’s crucial to acknowledge that the “Palestinians” have already had control over various territories, including the Gaza Strip, situated along the stunning Mediterranean coastline. While Gaza had the potential to thrive as a tourist destination similar to Dubai, the decision to elect Hamas to govern has resulted in turmoil and instability.
And if the two-state solution wasn’t already dead, the murders of Ariel and Kfir Bibas and their mother would have done it in.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper and Dr. Deborah Soffen from the Simon Wiesenthal Center presented a clear perspective on this matter in a column published on RealClearPolitics. They also proposed a potential solution to help restore order and rationality to the situation.
The Bibases have been laid to rest, leaving a husband and father, along with the entire House of Israel, to mourn. Buried in tiny coffins are the remains of Kfir, age 9 months, and 4-year-old Ariel, who were strangled by Hamas. But also buried are any hopes of a two-state solution. The Palestinian Authority did not order the execution of the babies, parents, and grandparents on Oct. 7, but it gleefully rewards every Palestinian who murders or maims Jews with hefty financial bonuses.
Unless and until a different Palestinian leadership emerges, unless and until generations of Palestinian children are taught by their teachers to pursue peace and mutual tolerance with their Jewish neighbors, there will never be a Palestinian ruling entity that could threaten Israelis again. Never.
This was a beautiful, innocent family. They were kidnapped on Oct 7th by vicious, hate-filled Hamas terrorists. The children were strangled. Hamas terrorists — this is unpleasant to contemplate, but we must — strangled a 9-month-old infant and a 4-year-old preschooler. What they did to the children’s mother doesn’t bear thinking about. And then, when returning the bodies to Israel, they put on an absolutely inhuman display, celebrating the deaths.
These people — Hamas — have surrendered their humanity.
Rabbi Cooper and Dr. Soffen are turning to an outside source to provide everyone in the region with a fresh start:
For there to be hope for the future, Gaza can no longer serve as a launching pad of terrorism and missiles against Israel’s heartland.
Palestinians should be offered a path to a dignified, nonviolent future. It will not be in Gaza. Oct. 7 will never be forgotten, and the crimes against the Bibas family and thousands of other peaceful Israelis will neither be forgotten nor forgiven.
President Trump has the right idea. Our democratic allies in London, Paris, Berlin, and Tokyo should work closely with him to help ensure a better future for all. The alternatives are too shocking to consider.
Here’s the thing: There’s a big job to be done before any wholesale reconstruction of Gaza can take place. Israel, as always in that part of the world, will have to do the heavy lifting.
The terrorists of Hamas have not only surrendered their humanity, but they have also destroyed any hope of a two-state solution. Gaza, to ever turn the corner into the peaceful, prosperous place it should have been, will have to be evacuated and bulldozed. The people — the innocent people of Gaza, of whom there are some — will have to be removed, and permanently. That will leave the hard core of Hamas hiding in the ruins, and Israel is more than capable of dealing with them.
President Trump’s idea is a solid one and wouldn’t necessarily require American government intervention. Israel can take care of the military tasks — and reclaim Gaza, make it Israeli territory, and throw those beautiful golden-sand beaches open to be lined with tourist hotels. Prosperous people are peaceful people.
There will be no peace in that region until Hamas, Hezbollah, and their ilk are, to put it bluntly, no longer a factor. Any possibility of a peaceful outcome died with the Bibases.
