The Israel-Hamas war grinds on. It's time to try something actually different
As the IDF intensify their campaign in Gaza while 59 hostages remain in Hamas captivity it is time for some fresh thinking. Eight thousand Palestinian prisoners held by Israel should be committed into deradicalisation programmes outside the country. Their families can go with them. In return – release all the hostages. On its face that might sound crazy, but such programmes have worked elsewhere and, if successful, large-scale deradicalisation of prisoners could also pave the way for wider stability, beyond the failed Western 'solutions' which have been no such thing.
The Israel-Palestinian conflict is not a war over land, sovereignty or civil rights. That would be a lot simpler to deal with. Throughout history, societies and nations at war have adapted and reconciled, learning to live in peace with neighbours with whom they have fought vicious, long term conflicts. The root of today's problem in the Middle East is a radicalised Palestinian population that for decades has been indoctrinated to hate Jews and taught that they have a religious duty to exterminate them and destroy their state.
This has come from within Palestinian society and across the Middle East, often wittingly or unwittingly encouraged by the Western world. In truth the Palestinian Arabs have been used and abused as a weapon against the Jewish state and that remains the case today. Consequently, the Palestinians are now one of the most radicalised societies on earth.
How often have we heard the lazy aphorism that you can't defeat an ideology? Tell that to the Nazi Party and Imperial Japan. As they were, Hamas and its fellow jihadists in Gaza are in the process of being militarily defeated, and when that is complete their ideology will no longer have the direct capability to inflict harm on their enemies. But the ideology itself will remain and what is left of its leadership will do their utmost to rearm and rebuild what they have lost. The same is true in the West Bank.
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Reuters
31 minutes ago
- Reuters
US and Israel condemnation of sanctions on ministers is 'predictable', Australia says
SYDNEY, June 11 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said condemnation by the U.S. and Israel of sanctions imposed on two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers was "predictable", and that the two men had impeded a two-state solution. Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in a coordinated action imposed sanctions on Tuesday on cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, accusing them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that the U.S. condemned the move, and Israel said the action by the five countries was "outrageous" and the Israeli government would hold a special meeting early next week to decide how to respond. Albanese said the responses from Israel and the U.S. are "predictable". "The Israeli Government does need to uphold its obligations under international law and some of the expansionist rhetoric that we've seen as well is clearly in contradiction of that from these hard-line right wing members of the Netanyahu government," Albanese said on Wednesday in an interview with ABC Radio Sydney. Comments by the two men "have aided what is a serious impediment to a two-state solution", he added. The sanctions freeze the assets and impose travel bans on Israel's National Security Minister Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Smotrich, both West Bank settlers, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. "We, along with those other countries and the broader international community, believe we can only see peace in the Middle East when we deal with two states and when both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security," she said in a television interview with Seven. Israel's Ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, wrote on X on Wednesday that the sanctions are "deeply concerning and entirely unacceptable".
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Penny Wong slammed by US Secretary of State after introducing sanctions on Israeli officials
Australia has come under fire from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for backing sanctions against two senior Israeli officials, accusing it of turning a blind eye to the 'real enemy'. Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced on Wednesday the targeted sanctions in a joint statement alongside her counterparts from Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. The measures - which include travel bans and financial sanctions - are against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have been accused of inciting 'extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights'. Mr Ben-Gvir, from the Jewish Power party, and Mr Smotrich, of the Religious Zionism Party, are members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's coalition government. Mr Rubio on Wednesday said that he conemns the move, 'These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,' he said. 'We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. 'We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. Asked about Mr Rubio's condemnation of the sanctions, the foreign minister said that despite their differences Australia and the US remained aligned on strategic interests. 'We will continue to be part of the international call for aid to enter (Gaza) unhindered, unimpeded,' Senator Wong said. 'That is Israel's obligation. 'These two ministers have been the most extremist and hard line of an extremist settler enterprise, which is both unlawful and violent. 'Australia can't shift the dial on the Middle East by ourselves. 'What we can do is act with others, and that's what we've done.' 'We will continue to advocate for a ceasefire and the return of hostages, and we will continue to condemn Hamas and its terrorist ideology.' Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the sanctions 'outrageous' and said his government would hold a meeting early next week to decide how to respond to the 'unacceptable decision' made by the five countries. Although the sanctions focus on the West Bank, the foreign ministers said 'this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza'. The Australian Jewish Association said it was appalled by the federal government's actions and accused it of anti-Semitism. 'This action represents a hostile and unjustified attack on a democratic ally and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms,' CEO Robert Gregory said. 'This government's willingness to engage with authoritarian regimes... while targeting the world's only Jewish state, exposes a disturbing double standard. 'There is no other explanation for this disparity than blatant antisemitism.' 'This government's willingness to engage with authoritarian regimes, including Holocaust deniers like Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, while targeting the world's only Jewish state, exposes a disturbing double standard. 'There is no other explanation for this disparity than blatant anti-semitism.' The Australian Centre for International Justice said the decision was a significant step and would send a clear message. 'These measures directly respond to the compelling evidence implicating Ben-Gvir and Smotrich in inciting extremist violence and serious human rights violations against Palestinians,' acting executive director Lara Khider said.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australia sanctions two Israeli ministers over 'violent' West Bank settlements
Australia's foreign affairs minister Penny Wong announces that Australia will join key allies in sanctioning two Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, for inciting violence against Palestinians. 'They are the most extreme proponents of the unlawful and violent settlement enterprise,' Wong tells reporters at a press conference on Wednesday morning
