General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: No longer defending Israel [View all]wnylib
(23,664 posts)for rebuilding nations AFTER the war ended. During the war, didn't the combatants bomb the hell out of each other? London blitz, Berlin blitz, Nagasaki, Hiroshima.
I misunderstood your suggestion of using money. I did not realize that you meant to use it as a bribe to civilians. I'm glad to see that someone is suggesting alternative tactics to massive bombing and cutting off aid. I, too, have wished to see more specifically targeted efforts by Israel, using Intel agencies and special operations.
I see what Israel's military strategy is and why they are using it. I want to see an alternative, too. Israel's bombing is intended to destroy Hamas networks and tunnels to force them out into the open with no place to hide now or in the future, making it impossible for Hamas to regroup. Israel does not want to sacrifice its limited supply of military and Intel personnel by going into the tunnels to search and fight where they would be wiped out with one blast by Hamas.
I think that Israel would not trust info gained through bribes and would be suspicious of being set up.
This is not a war between uniformed armies on both sides. It is an urban guerrilla war fought by terrorists on one side who are embedded in the civilian population. Those guerrilla fighters do hijack food and medical aid for themselves. Israel is convinced that they can limit the aid reaching the fighters, but that tactic also limits aid to civilians, causing starvation and famine. The Israeli policy of monitoring aid also results in trigger happy soldiers executing people who deliver aid. It is harming innocents and backfiring on Israel in lost international support.
Hamas does not and never will negotiate in good faith. They operate for themselves and their own power, not on behalf of the Palestinian people. They have rejected ceasefire negotiatiations as much as Israel has.
Add Israeli politics into the mix in this war. Netanyahu faces criminal charges in Israel that go back to before the 10/7 attacks. He failed to protect Israel from those attacks. He is coming on strong as a ruthless hawk to save his own political neck.
One possible angle that is being considered in negotiations by the US and nations in the region is to strengthen the Palestinian Authority as an alternative representative of Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank.