In a very real sense, the United States is funding this attack on Israel. $6 billion to Iran buys a lot of weapons for Hamas.
Israel should have pushed all Arabs out of the entirety of historic Palestine after their victory in 1948. Arabs cannot live in peace within Israel anymore than Russians within Ukraine. There is just too much resentment and latent hostility. I would have expelled all the Arabs in Gaza into Egypt and all those in the West Bank into Jordan. Everything orange in the below right image would be an Arab-free zone. Maybe Golan Heights can go to Syria.
The Golan Heights is too important to be in someone else's hands.
Fair enough. Golan goes to Israel too. All Arabs out, there's a whole Middle East, minus Iran for them to go to.
Now this is where it gets ........ difficult. Commeon sense, logic, and even precedent might say that this is the best way to avoid future issues in a conquered area. However, international law says that mass deportation of civilians is considered both a war crime and a crime against humanity (accordint to the UN anyway). So, Israel (in this case) had to decide whether the moral high ground is worth having a festering sore on the doorstep. And their conclusion is obvious. This is not just a cynical calculation to maintain support in the West (primarily, the US, of course): Israel is a rare beacon of democracy in a part of the world where democratic values are as abundant as hen's teeth. Israel has to perform a balancing act between armed fortress and vibrant liberal (gnerally) society. Do they always get it right? No, of course not. Comromises are required at times. However, if we want to belong to a rules-based system based on the rule of law, then we have to abide by those laws even when it's not convenient, or when instinct tells us that 'eye for an eye' is the way to go
I was thinking of deportations in 1948, when they were still considered an option, and when Israel could very well argue they are expelling an invader and its collaborators and supporters within their borders. For example, until 1950 Germans were deported from across Europe. Nowadays it's politically and morally untenable for Israel to give them the shove. But if Ukraine manages to liberate the Donbas and Crimea, Zelenskyy cannot leave separatist-leaning ethnic Russians within his borders. It's a time bomb waiting to explode in the 2030s.
True, however the questions has to be asked: why now?
I would suggest 'Because we (US) are seriously distracted by Russia/China and under 'inventoried' for conventional war.'
