January 26: Hamas has got the world where it wants it

In which, Hamas makes its play for control of postwar Palestine, Texas stares down President Biden on the border, and Turkey OKs Sweden’s NATO bid.

Hamas has got the world where it wants it

In the space of just a few weeks, international support for Israel’s war against Hamas appears to have largely evaporated even as the IDF absorbed its deadliest day in the war.

With the ICJ set to make some kind of ruling/statement today on the genocide charges against Israel, the EU and the US have followed Saudi Arabia’s lead (!!!!) in linking a permanent settlement on the question of a Palestinian state to normalization of Israeli-Saudi ties. Elsewhere in the US, Senate Democrats are readying a bill that links Palestinian statehood to future Israeli aid, while Democrat-led cities are passing resolutions demanding a ceasefire.

Hamas turned the screws further by rejecting any kind of hostage deal with Israel that did not include Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, claiming further Israeli targeting of civilians, and even went a step further by publishing a report justifying their October 7 attack.

So, let’s take a step back and consider the bigger picture: The Western powers have dropped most, if not all, public statements of support for Israel and its right to defend itself, and doubled down on the necessity of a two-state solution even as the perpetrator of the current conflict (a recognized terrorist group with genocidal objectives) continues to enjoy growing support among the Palestinian populace. Meanwhile, the ICJ stands poised to rule on genocide charges against Israel.

This is what an upside down world looks like, friends. That a morally repugnant, war-starting act could be so largely ignored to the point that the victim of the attack is the one charged with genocide and the powers of the world believe that the way to peace lies in creating a political “solution” that would empower the unrepentant perpetrator of the initial attack. 

I’d say Hamas has gotten the world exactly where it wants it.