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as millions do at border crossings and air-
ports all over the world. Still others talk
about self-determination — forgetting
that Palestinians elected the leaders in
Gaza who ordered these attacks.
And all this babble ignores the human
view: wives who watched their husbands
die outside their homes, children lost
in rocket attacks, slain by machine gun
rounds or taken captive. The suffering is
immense.
The Abraham Accords, which
brought peace between Israel and four
Arab nations, offered historic hope.
Finally, it seemed, Arab nations and
Israel would work together to focus
on improving the lives of ordinary
Palestinians who, like the Israelis, want
jobs, housing, health care and schools
for their children.
But Iran had other plans, supplying
vast amounts of rockets, mortars, guns
and ammunition to the Gaza Strip by
ship, plane and truck. (Some of those
deadly cargoes were intercepted by the
U.S. Navy and diverted to Ukraine.)
Iran wanted war and Hamas complied.
Hamas has killed more Americans
than any other terror group except for
Al-Qaeda. It has access to underground
warehouses of weapons, platoons of
drones, squadrons of rockets, thousands
of fighters, and training facilities to pro-
duce more. Hamas plans, promotes and
encourages terrorists and then lionizes
them as “martyrs.”
Its war with Israel could last longer
than the Yom Kippur War.
If we tolerate extremism, it will erode
the rock of security and ultimately
destroy all U.S. efforts to stabilize the
Middle East.
Hamas’ leader, Ismail Haniyeh, should
no longer be received as a hero in Arab
capitals. The U.S. Treasury must sanction
Haniyeh and his loved ones and deprive
them of travel and international pay-
ments.
It is also not normal that Hamas con-
tinues to be supported by a series of non-
state initiatives and foundations, some of
which are based in Europe.
This terrorist attack comes as the
United States works to negotiate a historic
deal that normalizes relations between
Israel and Saudi Arabia, which could
transform the Middle East. Perhaps that
was the real target of this attack.
U.S. President Joe Biden expressed
his support for Israel in a phone call
with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu after Hamas’s assault. “We
stand ready to offer all appropriate means
of support to the Government and people
of Israel,” Biden said in a statement.
This is important, but the United States
must do more. When the smoke clears,
it is likely that American citizens will
be among the dead, wounded and cap-
tured. Hamas is now a threat to America’s
national security and its attempts to bring
peace to the region.
Originally published by the Jerusalem Strategic
Tribune.
‘WE ARE ALL ISRAELIS’ continued from page 6