by Brett Manero
In the past weeks, a monumental event has taken place in the Middle East: a peace deal has been struck between Israel and Hamas, effectively bringing an end to the horrific war in Gaza which has been ongoing since Hamas’ egregious attack on Israel in October of 2023. The peace deal has been hailed by many – including on both ends of the political spectrum – as something truly historic, and something which several American Presidents tried and failed to achieve: a lasting peace in the Middle East. With the end of violence in Gaza, innocent Palestinians can begin to rebuild their homes, infrastructure, economy, and their lives. Israelis can find closure with the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, including deceased hostages whose remains are being returned. Who knows what can become of Gaza and the Middle East: Gaza can be rebuilt and can flourish, even becoming a “Hong Kong” of the Middle East, if the people desire it. Israel can reach peace deals with other Arab nations by resuming the Abraham Accords. Gaza can become, with hard work, a terror-free zone with the end of Hamas.
Part of the peace deal is that Hamas must lay down its arms. In exchange, members of the terror group will receive amnesty. Many may be permitted to live in other Arab nations. A Hamas-free Gaza is a truly free Gaza. One must never forget that it was Hamas that began this horrific war which saw the murder of over a thousand innocent Israelis. Hamas, like any terrorist group, has no seat at the table in the modern world. Hamas must go.
That said, the suffering of Palestinians has been extreme. The withdrawal of the Israeli military from their territory will be a welcome development. One must pray that the peace deal will endure, which will take cooperation and some humiliation on all sides.
Peace is a wonderful thing. It is not only the absence of war, but something even deeper than that. Our of terrible conflict can come lasting peace. Out of the horrors of the Second World War has come the longest period of peace in Western Europe in centuries. Out of this war can come, if all parties cooperate, a similar peace in the Holy Land and the broader Middle East.
What has allowed for Western Europe to enjoy such a lasting peace? Firstly, the eradication of the Nazi party. Following Nazi Germany’s defeat in 1945, the Allies went about a strict policy of denazification. All National Socialist Party members were removed from positions of power. This was an absolute must in the eyes of General Dwight Eisenhower, who understood that the key to building a peaceful Germany was rooting out the cancer that had begun the War in the first place. The Western Allies built up West Germany into a blossoming liberal democracy which endures to this day (and was reunited with East Germany in 1991). The first step was removing the cancer.
If peace is to last in Gaza, then Hamas and all terrorist groups must go. Hamas and groups like them are no friend to the Palestinian people. In recent days, there have been shocking reports of Hamas executing Gazans suspected of cooperating with Israel. This has led some to question if the peace deal can last. Hamas used its own people as human shields, and likewise has stolen a great deal of aid intended for the suffering people of Gaza. The Palestinian people have a real and genuine right to live as an independent and free nation, but they can never do so under Hamas’ tyranny. No one was ever meant to be a slave. People and nations flourish when they are free.
Evil can never be trusted. It is a constant lie, the greatest scam in history. It seems thrilling in the moment, but it always disappoints. Evil can never be trusted to do the right thing. This is precisely why General Eisenhower insisted on denazification in Germany in 1945, because evil can never be trusted. The same goes for Hamas.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).