Andrew L. Urban
Lasting peace after the release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza is seen as fragile. Many commentators worry that peace won’t last after the initial burst of happiness and relief.
“Polls suggest Israelis are desperate for the war to end, so it would be difficult for Netanyahu to persuade anyone beyond his right-wing allies in his government that renewed conflict is justified,” writes Cameron Stewart in The Australian (10/10/25). “None of this guarantees that this peace deal will not stall or even collapse at some point.”
If Stewart were to finish his sentence, he might have said “given that Hamas lives only to kill all Jews, and any temporary loss of militant power and fighters is just a pause.”
Because that IS the sole purpose, the raison d’etre, of Hamas, representing the peak Jew-hatred of Palestinians. But all Palestinians are infected with that vile virus. Their long history of rejecting peace via diplomatic structures proves it. Their schooling that develops and nurtures the hatred of Jews stands as the permanent road block to peace. You can take Hamas out of Gaza but you can’t take the Hamas mind set out of (most) Palestinians. Summer camp musicals have children play murderous Palestinians killing Jews.
It isn’t Israel that may be a threat to lasting peace; it’s the remains of Hamas and the inability of Palestinians to accept Israel’s legitimacy. Hamas may have agreed to give up its large arms, it has not given up its hatred of Jews.
Since no agreement will quash hate, Hamas remains the live grenade in the Middle East. Even disarmed and defeated, this weed will find a way to survive. Like all weeds, it will emerge in the cracks, small units sprouting death, unexpectedly and repeatedly.
The history of Islamist terrorism is full of such acts.