Friday, Oct. 20, 2023 | 2 a.m.
President Joe Biden was correct when he told “60 Minutes” that it would be a big mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza again.
The barbaric attack Oct. 7 on Israeli settlements was a humiliating defeat at the hands of Hamas. A reactionary invasion of Gaza by the Israelis could entrap Israel in Gaza and draw the U.S. into another Middle East war. It would undermine the Abraham Accords, upset U.S. relations with Egypt and Jordan, and mangle the Saudi-Israeli peace process. Hamas would stir up trouble in the West Bank and draw Israel into imperial overreach.
Invading Gaza would be fraught with house-to-house fighting, ambushes and booby traps. Sending 360,000 Israeli reservists into urban warfare would exhaust Israeli military supplies and smash Israel’s economy, along with diminishing its international standing.
It would make more sense to negotiate a trade for hostages. It would avoid further distress on the people of Gaza and give Israel time to figure out how to establish a legitimate government to replace Hamas. That would give Israel a lot of support from the rest of the world.
Holding off an invasion of Gaza would disappoint Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah by thwarting their plan to entrap Israel. Russia would be dismayed because Israel would not use up U.S. munitions that could go to Ukraine.
Israelis could rest easy and every Gaza citizen would be relieved. I would rather see the hostages come home safely than have a pyrrhic victory with untold casualties and collateral damage in Gaza.
