Benjamin Netanyahu's 3 "prerequisites for peace"

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu laid out what he's calling Israel's 3 "prerequisites for peace" in this WSJ op-ed. In his op-ed, Netanyahu said "Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarized, and Palestinian society must be deradicalized. These are the three prerequisites for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors in Gaza." This is more than reasonable since Hamas has repeatedly shown that they aren't interested in any 2-state solution. That's simply a PR stunt.

Netanyahu's op-ed continues, saying "First, Hamas, a key Iranian proxy, must be destroyed. The U.S., U.K., France, Germany and many other countries support Israel’s intention to demolish the terror group. To achieve that goal, its military capabilities must be dismantled and its political rule over Gaza must end. Hamas’s leaders have vowed to repeat the Oct. 7 massacre 'again and again.' That is why their destruction is the only proportional response to prevent the repeat of such horrific atrocities. Anything less guarantees more war and more bloodshed."

Michael Oren was interviewed by the guest hosts of Morning Joe. Unlike Joe and Mika, though, these co-hosts asked intelligent questions. Check it out:

As for Israel's prerequisites, they make total sense. For western civilizations to tell Israel that they have the right to defend themselves is defensible. For the West to say that Israel has a right to defend itself up to a point isn't defensible.

Think of Israel as the average neighbor. Then think of Hamas as Jeffrey Dahmer. The West is essentially saying that Israel has the right to defend itself until western nations get squeamish. That's telling Israel they can defend themselves only to a point.

Future Gaza

Regarding the demand that Gaza be "demilitarized," the prime minister said that Israel must be sufficiently sure the region cannot be used as a base for any future attack.

"Among other things, this will require establishing a temporary security zone on the perimeter of Gaza and an inspection mechanism on the border between Gaza and Egypt that meets Israel’s security needs and prevents smuggling of weapons into the territory," Netanyahu wrote.

"Schools must teach children to cherish life rather than death, and imams must cease to preach for the murder of Jews," he said of proposed deradicalization in Gaza. "Palestinian civil society needs to be transformed so that its people support fighting terrorism rather than funding it. That will likely require courageous and moral leadership."

Is that a little criticism against Biden? It certainly could be taken that way. Biden isn't a portrait of moral leadership. Still, it's what's required in this life-or-death situation.

Israel isn't just trying to live in peace. They're trying to assist Palestinians obtain prosperity. (I think it's a foolish effort but I give Israel credit for trying.) If Hamas doesn't accept this, which they won't, they're exposed as antisemitic and ant-civilization. That's what you call a nation that didn't hesitate to kill innocent civilians like Hamas did on Oct. 7, 2023. Like Pearl Harbor and 9/11, Oct. 7, 2023 will live in infamy.