Stay informed with free updates
Just register Financial Times opinion myFT Digest – delivered straight to your inbox.
Since the founding of the state in 1948, Israel has never suffered such a brazen and bloody attack within its borders. The surprise dawn attack by Hamas, which included attacks on land, sea and air, exposed alarming lapses in intelligence by Israeli security forces. As of Sunday, Israel said more than 600 civilians had died; the Palestinian Authority said at least 370 people had died in Gaza. More than 100 Israeli hostages were kidnapped into Gaza, causing national trauma. It also seriously complicates the choice for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who says his country faces a “long and difficult war”. It’s a conflict unlike any Israel has experienced in generations, and it’s raising chilling fears of a wider regional conflagration.
Images of corpses in the streets, execution-style killings and fleeing Israelis being dragged away by Hamas have rightly been met with horror and condemnation around the world. Israel has every right to defend itself. It will attempt to respond with maximum force to deal a fatal blow to militant groups, send a message to all enemies and ensure the return of its citizens. Netanyahu will also come under pressure from the far-right extremists he brought into his governing coalition to respond harshly.
However, it seems no coincidence that the intelligence failure resulting from the attack occurred at a time when the government is dividing Israeli society through controversial judicial reforms. For the sake of Israel’s security, the prime minister would be wise to heed the calls to form a government of national unity and replace the extremists with more sober voices.
Regardless, the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that violence begets violence. The prime minister must calibrate his response and limit retaliation to military targets in Gaza, even though it would be carried out in a densely populated strip long blocked by Israel and Egypt. A broader conflict that favors extremists on all sides would threaten stability across the Middle East.
The entry of Hezbollah threatens an uncontrolled escalation. Lebanese militant groups backed by Iran have missile and rocket capabilities that far exceed those of Hamas, making it difficult for Israel to contain the conflict on multiple fronts. A dangerous situation has persisted in the West Bank for more than a year, with the occupied territory experiencing its worst violence in years and Israeli attacks almost daily.
The United States and regional countries linked to Hamas, including Egypt and Qatar, must do everything they can to ensure an end to the violence and the release of the Israeli hostages. But the international community’s attention must immediately be refocused on the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has long since ceased to be a priority.
Washington has stepped up efforts to secure a deal to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. The move is certain to further marginalize Palestinians and may have played a role in triggering Hamas’ attacks, although their scale and sophistication suggest they have been prepared for months or years.
The attack underscores that despite all efforts to normalize relations between Arab states and Israel, peace in the region can only be ensured if Palestinians’ decades-old demands for a viable state are seriously addressed. Since Hamas took control of Gaza, Israel has used force in at least four wars against the group, inflicting a devastating blow on the strip’s 2 million people.
Each time, Hamas claimed victory against a far superior force, licked its wounds and began to rebuild for the next conflict. Force alone cannot eliminate this threat. As long as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains unresolved, the conditions for the birth of the next generation of extremist militants will remain.
Svlook
