Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Secretary of State John Kerry that Israel has agreed to a 12-hour ceasefire starting Saturday morning.
The sticking point for anything longer is Israel’s insistence it be able to keep destroying Hamas’ extensive web of tunnels.
The Israelis know that anything less would be a crippling defeat. Destroying the tunnel network was the basis for launching a ground operation in Gaza, and with good reason: Unlike the rain of missile fire, there is no Iron Dome to intercept the tunnels.
The photos of these tunnels released by Israeli Defense Forces show they’re far more than makeshift burrows in the ground. To the contrary, they’re often sophisticated, concrete-reinforced structures, containing tranquilizers, handcuffs and space for holding hostages.
Stretching over long distances from Gaza into Israel, they’re specifically designed as launching grounds for murder and kidnaping raids. They’re big operations that took years to build, with help from both North Korea and Iran.
Columnist Jeffrey Goldberg notes it’s becoming painfully clear why Hamas long demanded that Israel allow the importation of concrete to Gaza.
It wasn’t to build homes to help improve lives for impoverished Palestinians, as promised. It was for more attacks on Israelis.
One Israeli official put it this way: “There are two Gazas: one above ground and one below, an underground terrorist city.”
The recognition of just how deadly a threat these tunnels pose has united Israelis across political lines behind Prime Minister Netanyahu.
All understand that Hamas has absolutely no legitimate need for these tunnels, and that Israel has no defense against them short of destroying the whole network.
If Secretary Kerry and President Obama want a safer future for innocent Israelis and Palestinians alike, the most useful thing they can do is let Israel finish the job.