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Israel Can't Be Expected to Sustain Terrorists Intent on Its Destruction

(Jewish Chronicle-UK) Yaakov Katz - The international press has spent the past few weeks zeroing in on a single story: the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Each day brought a new headline and condemnation. Within days of the Oct. 7 massacre, the Biden administration began pressuring Israel to allow truckloads of food, fuel and supplies into the Strip. That much of that aid ended up in Hamas's hands made little difference to Washington or Europe. And that's what happened - with one hand, Israel struck Hamas targets and hunted its leaders and with the other, it sent in food and fuel, effectively helping to sustain the very terrorist group it was trying to destroy. Imagine if, in the aftermath of 9/11, as the U.S. Air Force bombed caves where Osama bin Laden was believed to be hiding, someone had asked President George W. Bush to halt operations so food convoys could reach al-Qaeda fighters. Would America have agreed? Of course not. Yet when it comes to Israel, a double standard was imposed from the outset - one that has extended the war and strengthened Hamas. Under international law, Israel's actions are permitted and there is no legal obligation to provide supplies if they are known to reach the enemy. But the world does not seem to care. Thankfully, there is broad international consensus that Hamas must not control the aid. Everyone understands that if Hamas is allowed to handle distribution, the aid will become yet another lifeline - prolonging the group's rule. This is why Israel and the U.S. have spent the last few weeks constructing a network of aid distribution centers in Gaza to bypass Hamas. If not handled correctly, aid will become less about saving civilians and more about saving Hamas. It is hard for Israelis to accept lectures from a world that seems to forget who started this war and who is still holding the hostages. Humanitarian aid is important. But so is moral consistency. And if the world wants this war to end, it must ensure that its interventions do not end up sustaining the very terrorists that need to be erased from this earth. The writer is a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute and a former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post.
2025-05-22 00:00:00
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