What I Think Israel Should Do Now

Israel seems to be fixated on gaining total victory in the war with Hamas. They can achieve this, albeit at terrible and horrifying cost, especially to people situate in the Gaza strip. The long-term repercussions from carrying out this policy wiould be unimaginably disastrous. I think that once Israel has inflicted on the people of the Gaza strip twice as much death, destruction, and suffering as it incurred in Hamas’s surprise attack and in the following days — something that has probably already happened — Israel should declare the war over, except for vigorous self-defense and counter attacks as needed, and adopt a new policy of seeking peace, comity, and tolerance with its neighbors, accompanied by getting the message to the world, and particularly to every Palestinian in the Gaza strip, that Israel seeks peace and friendship with Palestinians, but that any death, destruction, and suffering inflicted on Israel by Hamas will be met with twice as much death, destruction, and suffering inflicted in return. Palestinians in the Gaza strip must understand that they have nothing to fear from Israel, and that every attack by Hamas on Israel amounts to being a worse attack by Hamas on its own people.