Extended Ceasefire?
What follows is a letter by Los Angeles resident Paul Schnee in response to an editorial in the Los Angeles Times calling for an extended ceasefire in Gaza. It’s unclear whether or not the LA Times saw fit to publish the letter, but it definitely WAS published by activist Pamela Geller in the Geller Report on November 19, 2023:
“Dear Sirs,
In war, the status of the attacker and the attacked is not interchangeable. The war in Gaza is against pure evil. This is an absolute statement that admits to no moral relativism and cannot be applied on a sliding scale.
The Gazans, particularly the ones who participated in the genocide on Oct. 7th. and later gleefully celebrated their butchery in the streets of Gaza by passing out candy and videotaping it all for posterity, must suffer the inevitable consequences for their horrific crimes against humanity.
There should be no ceasefire unless ALL the hostages are released and Hamas surrenders unconditionally.”
Although I agree with much of what Mr. Schnee has said, I disagree with one important point; in my opinion, Israel should NOT cease its campaign to exterminate Hamas completely EVEN IF Hamas surrenders unconditionally. Such a surrender, if it were only verbal, would be worth NOTHING. And if it were in writing, it would be worth even less. In fact, a surrender from Hamas in writing wouldn’t be worth the paper it was written on. Any treaties signed by Muslims may be abrogated at any time because there is precedent for it in the life of Muhammad when he broke the Treaty of Hudaybiyah (made with the Quraysh tribe in 628 AD). As attested to in the Hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari 4655:
“In 628, Muhammad signed a treaty with the people of Mecca that allowed his people to enter the city and peacefully perform the pilgrimage. Less than two years later, he returned with an army and took the city by surprise.”
Although many Islamic apologists have made up excuses of one sort or another for this breach of treaty, the real story, as attested to in Tafsirs ibn Kathir verse 9:1–2:
“It was actually Muhammad who broke the treaty because Allah and His Messenger declared the abrogation of the peace treaty that existed between them and the pagans. That’s why this verse is called the verse of IMMUNITY. (Q.9:1)”
Because Muslims hold that Muhammad was the “perfect man,” anything he has done is, by definition, morally correct. So, in essence, because Muhammad broke that treaty, any Muslim can break a treaty too, especially when it is expeditious to do so. Simple as that. And, this makes even more sense when it is understood in light of the Islamic doctrine of deceit, called “Taqiyya,” which, in essence, allows Muslims to lie when it’s done to promulgate the Islamic faith. And, further, this should be considered in light of one of Muhammad’s most famous quotes (as documented in Sahih Muslim B32N6303): “war is deceit.”
So with all of this as the milieu in which calls for an Israeli ceasefire are made, should Israel take such demands seriously?… As I stated in my essay from November 12, 2023, The Second Month of War, Part Two: “When you have a rabid dog in your backyard, you can’t reason with him. You can’t negotiate with him. You can’t dissuade him. You can’t even frighten him… The only thing you can do with a rabid dog is… PUT HIM DOWN.”
In my opinion, Israel should not, and MUST not, stop its military operations until EVERY Hamas jihadi in Gaza has been killed and every tunnel destroyed. Does this mean that some innocent Palestinians will be killed or injured?… Yes, unfortunately, it does. And, although deaths of innocent civilians can happen in ANY war, it is more likely in a war in which one side uses human shields as their only defensive strategy. Innocent Palestinian lives will inevitably be lost in such a war, which is why, it’s very important that Hamas and the Palestinians do not START such a war to begin with.