Tuesday’s cease-fire between Hamas and Israel is meant to be “long-term.” The problem for Israel is that, long-term, Hamas remains a dangerous threat.
The latest deal is the 12th since fighting in Gaza broke out seven weeks ago. Hamas violated all the previous cease-fires, and it remains to be seen if it will honor this one. But the fact remains that a cease-fire allows Hamas to live to terrorize another day.
Hamas’ leaders claim they won a great victory. In truth, they got some 2,000 of their people killed, Israel destroyed their terror tunnels and leveled much of Gaza and some two-thirds of their rockets were depleted.
In Tuesday’s deal, Israel agreed to let Gaza receive humanitarian and construction aid, albeit under strict supervision to ensure that concrete and cement are used only for building homes, not more tunnels.
If the cease-fire holds, both sides can present their larger demands. Hamas wants a seaport, an airport, money and the release of terrorists freed in a prisoner deal and later re-arrested.
Israel has a more critical goal: a fully demilitarized Gaza. But that would only be a first step — because, again, as long as Gaza remains under Hamas’ control, Israel’s security is threatened.
We won’t second-guess the decision of a democratic ally that has to live with the consequences. But we do note that just days ago Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rightly compared Hamas to ISIS, calling them “branches of the same poisonous tree.”
The war trimmed the Gaza branch. But the risk is that, with its roots intact, the tree may grow back as lethal as ever.