Won’t Get Fooled Again
As the civilized world rejoices over the release of Israeli hostages, the WSJ editors caution the world not to be blind: “Jihadists are manipulating human sentiment to achieve their terrorist aims.”
The joy of seeing young children reunited with their parents after seven weeks of hell is palatable. But don’t be fooled. Hamas terrorists are releasing dozens of hostages a day three times the number of Palestinians Israelis are releasing.
Hamas snatched innocent Israelis and others in a deliberate act of terror. The released Palestinians were arrested or convicted of crimes under the law.
Hamas’s strategy is to divide Israeli opinion: those who prioritize the release of the hostages vs. those who want Hamas defeated so it can never again slaughter 1,200 people.
Israel is not alone in the manipulation. Hamas is exploiting the Biden administration and the world:
(E)very day the truce lasts the more time the jihadists have to regroup, slip out of Gaza, rearm, or plan more ambushes against Israelis. And the longer it lasts the more odds increase of an extended cease-fire, which is what Hamas really wants. The onus will fall on Israel to end the truce, though Hamas is unlikely ever to release all hostages, who are its only source of leverage.
Who’s Next
Hamas uses Palestinians the same as it uses Israeli hostages: expandable weapons of war.
We’ll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet …
