Hamas is not agreeing to disarm. It is bargaining.
The Cairo meetings reportedly focused heavily on what mediators described as the "restriction of weapons" rather than outright disarmament. Some proposals reportedly envision Hamas and other armed groups "depositing" weapons with Palestinian authorities or placing them under international supervision.
This brush-off alone should convince Washington that the current strategy of negotiating with Hamas, as with Iran, is failing.
The notion that Hamas would voluntarily surrender the means that allow it to dominate the Gaza Strip, intimidate Palestinians, and wage jihad (holy war) against Israel is detached from reality. Hamas did not spend decades building a military infrastructure, digging tunnels, stockpiling rockets, and indoctrinating generations of Palestinians only to hand over its weapons because mediators asked politely.
Any agreement that allows Hamas to survive politically while retaining influence over the Gaza Strip is only postponing the next war.
That Qatar and Turkey are once again serving as mediators just adds another layer of lunacy to the process. Both countries have long been among Hamas's most important political and financial supporters.
Expecting Qatar and Turkey to pressure Hamas into disarming is asking sponsors to dismantle the very organization they have spent years supporting.
For months, Washington has sought calm and stability across the Middle East. America's adversaries, however, increasingly interpret this desire for stability as weakness.
Hamas sees endless negotiations. Hezbollah, Iran's Lebanese proxy, sees repeated efforts to preserve ceasefires. Iran sees a US administration eager to avoid significant escalation at any cost.
Instead of complying with American demands, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran are setting conditions and leading the Trump Administration around by the nose.
For the past few years, every ceasefire has allowed Hamas to regroup. Every negotiation has given it time. Every diplomatic initiative has enabled it to re-entrench itself.
That is not a sign of diplomatic progress. It is evidence of diplomatic failure.
At some point, the Trump Administration might confront a simple reality: terrorist organizations do not voluntarily negotiate themselves out of existence.
For both Hamas and Iran, survival means remaining armed so that they can continue pursuing their ultimate goal: the elimination of Israel, and for Iran, eventually Europe and the US.
Until this reality is acknowledged, the world will continue to witness the same futile spectacle: mediators begging a terrorist organization to surrender weapons it never intends to give up.
Friday, June 12, 2026
The Ongoing Charade of Hamas Disarmament
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment