There Can Be Little Peace When there is Little Regret

 I support Israelis in the recent conflict with Hamas. This does not mean that Israelis have always been on the side of the angels in these ongoing wars with the Palestinians. But for now, we must put this ongoing conflict's deep and complicated history aside. We must put it aside to think clearly.  Santayana's (" Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.") way of thinking must be temporarily suspended. History is clouding the issue at hand. The issue at hand is Jihadism. The issue at hand is Hamas. The issue at hand is a religious, fanatical terrorist group that controls 2.3 million people in the most densely populated region in the world. The issue is that Hamas is driven by Jihadism. There is no compromise in their ideology. None. The infidels must be destroyed. Nothing matters to them except martyrdom. Except for Sam Harris few other scholars have openly stated the obvious. Governments, Universities, and Journalists, all of whom may support Israelis in this conflict, see it more as a historical territorial dispute. This a mistake. It gives credence to maniacs. 

Hamas openly admitted that they did not regret the October  7 attack on Israel and would do it again. More than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed, and Gaza's infrastructure has been severely damaged, if not destroyed. The mounting death toll, many of whom are children, means nothing to Hamas. In their eyes, they are martyrs destined for a better life in heaven. After all, they use these same children as human shields. The territory is only the stage where this horrific script is being played out. It is not the story. The story is about understanding what Jidhaists want and to what extremes they will go to get it.   There is simply no room for regret in their ideology.

The Israelis must understand they are not cut from the same cloth as the Jidhaists.  Their religion and ideology allow for forgiveness, compassion, and regret. They have already killed 10 times more Palestinians and displaced hundreds of thousands more. Many of whom are children. Many of whom do not support Hamas.  This wholesale slaughter of civilians is not only immoral and collective punishment of the innocent; it is a non-productive military and political tactic. Both sides may not count the dead because God is on their side, but the rest of the world is.  Iran is counting. Saudi Arabia is counting. The UN is counting. Russia is counting. American college campuses are counting.  But most of all, Hamas is counting. They don't care how many children die or how many hospitals are bombed where they conveniently put many of their headquarters. The IDF must understand this.   Hamus must be destroyed. Fundamental Jihadists must be hunted down and killed on sight like rabid animals.  But unless the Israelis begin to rethink their understandable knee-jerk reaction to this recent, unprovoked attack, until they begin to have some regret, they grow ever closer to a mindset that will prevent peace in that region, even after Hamus and similar terrorist groups are removed from the equation.