I'm getting a little tired of hearing the statements of Israeli officials justifying the bloody military invasion of the Gaza Strip – but it’s not about the justification.
If someone were firing rockets at my country, I certainly wouldn’t want to sit around and take it. But stop trying to tell me how surgical this response has been or that you’re paying attention to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. By now, these explanations sound pretty hollow.
It looks an awful lot like what the Israeli leaders really want is regime change. Can you blame them? Hamas has never admitted Israel’s right to exist, and it’s just a little too friendly with Iran. Further, Israel maintains that Hamas took over Gaza by coup and that the group’s mismanagement of the enclave and disregard for the average citizen is the real reason Gazans are suffering. Sounds like a good formula for regime change to me.
So go for it, Israel! Destroy Hamas. But if you believe the Palestinians in Gaza would have a better life, then you have some obligation to supply a reasonable -- meaning humane and fair -- alternative. If the people of Gaza aren’t willing to allow themselves to be governed by Fatah – well, Israel, it’s your job to solve this problem. As they say, if you break it, you own it.
You owe the world no explanation for changing the regime in Gaza – but don’t sugar-coat it, just do it. But I hope you’re better at the regime-change business than we have been in Iraq.
There, now I’ve said it.
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