Israel, Hamas, and the Islamic Concepts Dar al-Islam Versus Dar al-harb

Hamas' surprise attack on Israel is a brutal demonstration of a reality that many people have refused to accept, and that some people--despite of all of the evidence--will still refuse to accept: there is no "two state" solution that will resolve the war between Israel and her enemies because this war has nothing to do with helping Palestinian Arabs and everything to do with killing as many Jews as possible. The barbarism at the core of radical Islam will not be cured by any concession made by Israel short of complete dissolution of the Jewish State--and even if that tragic outcome happened, radical Islam would not be placated but would instead turn its full attention toward the United States and other democratic countries that are part of the Dar al-harb--the portions of the world that radical Muslims have yet to conquer, with the emphasis on "yet": they believe that such conquest is promised to them by Allah, and they will not rest until they achieve such conquest, transforming all of the world into Dar al-Islam (territory governed in strict accordance with Islamic law, which means--among other things--no freedom of speech, no freedom of religion, no freedom of the press, no independent judiciary, and very limited rights for women and any other minority group not favored under Islamic law).

It is impossible to successfully negotiate peace with a radical Islamist country or terrorist group just as it was impossible to successfully negotiate peace with Nazi Germany or with the Soviet Union. Israel faces a simple choice: defeat her enemies, or be destroyed. Carving a Palestinian Arab state out of the Jewish homeland would only lead to more war and more death. Of course, it must be noted that there is already an Arab state in 80% of Palestine, but it is up to that state--Jordan--and the rest of the Arab/Muslim world to decide how to best use that state to help the Palestinian Arabs who live in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria.

Look at a map of the world, and scan the wide territory from Morocco to Pakistan: all you see are failed and failing autocracies, many of which are at war with each other. There is not one high-functioning, modern democratic state in the entire Arab/Muslim world, but some people are delusional enough to believe that creating yet another autocratic Arab/Muslim state carved out of the Jewish homeland would be a positive development. Instead of criticizing Israel, why not consider the core reasons that a whole group of countries created in the same general time frame that the modern State of Israel was created have failed miserably in terms of freedom, economic development, education, and the ability to live in peace with their neighbors? One of the major reasons is the primacy of radical Islam in the region. Wipe Israel off the map today--Hamas' stated goal--and the overall quality of life in the region would not improve one bit.

The full scope of the horrors committed by Hamas against Israel in the past few days is still being discovered as Israel regains control of her territory. For example, there is a report that Hamas terrorists slaughtered dozens of babies and young children in their homes--and if your response to this savagery is some form of "What about" pertaining to anti-Israel propaganda, then just stop right there: whatever you imagine or pretend that Israel ever did would not in any way justify Hamas' grisly imitation of the war crimes committed by Nazi Germany. As Mandana Dayani put it in an Instagram post (I have corrected a couple typos from the original post):

Never in my years as an activist, have I seen other activists, upon seeing footage of little girls being killed and dragged through [the] streets, immediately find the burning need to go on the internet and justify their deaths. "Oh, here [are] all the reasons that girl was burned alive!" For complete clarity, the only reason you do this, is because you have been made to believe that the killing of Jews can even be justified. Because every civilization has taught that the life of a Jew is less valuable than your own. It's the Hitler playbook. Your antisemitism is not unconscious. It is so deeply rooted in your bones and you are so comfortable with it, you are not even able to consider its impact on your friends.

As I explained two years ago, There is No Moral Equivalence Between Israel and Hamas. The United Nations' refusal to condemn Hamas' war crimes reaffirmed what has been obvious for a long time: the U.N. is worse that useless. Until the U.N. condemns Hamas' killing of innocent men, women, and children, plus the rapes, the desecration of corpses, and the taking of civilian hostages, no one should care what the U.N. says about anything else. 

Neither of the two major U.S. political parties fully understand the situation, and it is pathetic to watch the Republicans blame the Democrats and the Democrats blame the Republicans. Both parties share the blame, but for different reasons. 

The Democrats have this weird obsession with sending money to Iran and trying to cultivate a relationship with a regime whose stated goal is to subjugate the entire world to live under Islamic rule. Both President Obama and President Biden provided billions of dollars to Iran, the chief financier and organizer of Hamas. This means that the blood of those who Hamas killed, is killing, and will kill is on the hands of both of those Presidents. Meanwhile, the "Squad" spouts antisemitic and anti-Zionist lies but is silent about the war crimes committed in the name of Islam--and the Democratic Party is silent about that silence. It is baffling to observe the love affair between self-proclaimed "progressives" who value secular humanism above all else and radical Muslims who want to impose their religious views on the entire world; their only apparent shared value is antisemitism, but that seems to be more than enough to maintain their passionate connection.

The Republicans criticize the "Squad" when it is profitable politically to do so, but then do nothing to condemn the antisemites in their own ranks. President Trump deserves credit for shutting down U.S. funding of Iran, but Elyakim Haetzni warned that President Trump's "Deal of the Century" put Israel's survival at risk, noting that the creation of a Palestinian Arab state alongside Israel would be an existential threat to the Jewish State; anyone who did not understand or believe that before should certainly understand and believe it now when the world sees how much mayhem and carnage is emanating from a "demilitarized" Gaza ruled by Hamas.

Ultimately, though, Israel must rely not on U.S. leaders but on her own leaders. Israel's succession of foolish and corrupt leaders from both sides of the political spectrum must shoulder most of the blame--not for supposedly persecuting Arabs, as the mainstream media incorrectly asserts, but for failing to defend the interests of their country and failing to protect their fellow citizens. Instead of winning the war against Hamas and making sure that Israel's borders were safe, Prime Minister Netanyahu turned a blind eye to Qatar's funding of Hamas, and thus Martin Oliner asks a pertinent question: "If Qatar has so much disposable money to put on a lavish show for the World Cup, for international diplomatic warfare against Israel and to spend on American and British campuses, why does Doha not build a university for Palestinians in Gaza?" Qatar provided $1.5 billion to Hamas under the not so watchful eye of Netanyahu, as Yigal Carmon ruefully noted: "The explanation for this anti-Israel policy was the presumption that the Israeli government is so wise that it is buying Hamas, and quiet from Hamas, with other parties' money. But this never happened. Instead, Netanyahu sold out our lives and our security for a reckless illusion. And the deal with Qatar may have served Netanyahu in other areas."

If you think that this war only concerns Israel, or can be resolved by "Justice for Palestine," then heed the words of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Zahar in a December 2022 video: 

We believe in what our Prophet Muhammad said: "Allah drew the ends of the world near one another for my sake, and I have seen its eastern and western ends. The dominion of my nation would reach those ends that have been drawn near me. The entire 510 million square kilometers of Planet Earth will come under [a system] where there is no injustice, no oppression, no Zionism, no treacherous Christianity and no killings and crimes like those being committed against the Palestinians, and against the Arabs in all the Arab countries, in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and other countries."

Self-proclaimed "progressives" who "stand with Palestine" and criticize Israel are taking the side of countries and terrorist groups whose goal is to impose radical Islam over the entire planet so that we can all enjoy the lifestyle of people living in Iran, Afghanistan, and other countries that are governed by strict adherence to Islamic law. 

Anyone who thinks that Israel is an "apartheid state" and that her enemies Iran and Hamas are the good guys is very confused. In The Truth About Apartheid States, Genocide, and the Sheikh Jarrah Court Case, I provide a detailed analysis of the legal definition of apartheid and the legal definition of genocide before concluding that it is "a vulgar and despicable inversion of historical truth to slander Israel with the accusation of apartheid and genocide--the very crimes committed within living memory against Jewish people by the Nazis."

Regarding calls for a ceasefire now that Israel is gaining the upper hand, terrorist group Hamas is in no position--legally or morally--to dictate terms. At a minimum, this war should not end until all of these events happen:

1) Hamas is eliminated as a functioning terrorist, military, and political entity.

2) Hamas' state sponsors--including but perhaps not limited to Iran and Qatar--must pay reparations for the killed, for the injured, and for the destruction of property.

3) All hostages held by Hamas must be released immediately and unconditionally.

Then, after the war ends, any Hamas leader who survives this war should be put on trial for crimes against humanity both for the attacks against Israel and for using Arab citizens and Israeli hostages as human shields. Civilian deaths in Gaza are strictly the responsibility of Hamas for placing their military and terrorist operational infrastructure in the midst of densely populated civilian areas, as I discussed in my article The Pathetic "Progressive" Response to Hamas' War Against Israel, when I quoted at length Michael Curtis' detailed analysis of why Hamas should be indicted for war crimes (and this was written years before the atrocities most recently committed by Hamas):

In its behavior towards Israel, Hamas is guilty of both crimes against humanity and war crimes according to Article 7(1) of the Rome Statute, which applies to murder and extermination. Hamas is guilty of a government policy in which those two crimes are part of a widespread or systematic practice. Its actions are more than isolated inhumane acts and constitute a consistent pattern of behavior. The stated aim of Hamas is not simply to harm Israeli civilians, but rather a policy of genocide, the killing of Jews, and the elimination of the State of Israel. Hamas has really only one grievance: the existence of Israel.

Article 8(2)(b) of the Rome Statute deals with the war crime of using protected persons as shields. Hamas has been guilty on numerous occasions of this crime--the intention to shield a military objective from attack or shield, favor, or impede military operations. The major war crime of Hamas is to use children for this purpose. Golda Meir, in her straightforward manner, once commented, "We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us." In contrast, Hamas has stated that preserving the capacity to bomb civilians in Israel is more valued than the loss of Palestinian children.
 
Those children have been used not only as human shields to protect the terrorists. They have also been used for actions such as being messengers and couriers for the terrorists, for digging tunnels into Israel, and for smuggling. Hamas has used them for military activities, including throwing grenades and rocks, and even for suicide bomber missions. Schools and kindergartens have been used to store missiles and mortars and as launching sites, in the same way as hospitals, mosques, and public places have been used. The sad reality is that Gaza children do not dream of becoming rocket scientists; they dream of firing rockets and becoming holy martyrs.

There is ample evidence to present to the International Criminal Court, including the outspoken statement of the U.N. secretary-general, the discovery that tunnels used for aggression are located under hospitals and private property, and the videos of Hamas actions. One video clearly shows rockets being fired next to civilian buildings. Another shows a demonstration of human shields as civilians were forced to gather on top of the home of a known Hamas terrorist to prevent an attack by Israel. Ban Ki-moon has spoken of the need to address the "root causes" of instability in Gaza. A case brought against Hamas before the International Criminal Court would find that the basis of instability in Gaza is the crimes against humanity and the war crimes committed by Hamas.

Israel's enemies pretend that Israel is a colonialist enterprise, and they assert that if they put enough pressure on Israel then all of Israel's Jews will leave. Israel is not Great Britain colonizing America, India, and other places. Great Britain could withdraw from those places--voluntarily or under fire--and go back home. There is no "go back home" for Israel's Jews. Israel IS the Jewish home, and the surge of antisemitism around the world is a harsh reminder that there is nowhere else for Jews to go. Ultimately, either Israel will destroy Hamas and render Iran incapable of causing further bloodshed, or Iran and Hamas will destroy Israel; that is the reality of how all of this will be resolved, whether one of those outcomes happens in the next few weeks or in the next 50 years.

Unless you expect to enjoy living in Dar al-Islam, now is the time to support Israel, who is fighting not just for her survival, but for the survival of Western civilization.