Jihad forces cannot be tamed or appeased
Op-ed: It is bewildering how many believe Hamas can be appeased despite Hezbollah proving that Jihad forces need no excuse for their propagation of destruction; Hezbollah is also world's largest crime organization but Obama chose a conciliatory policy ignoring their drug smuggling, money laundering.
If Israel only eliminated the blockade of the Gaza Strip, there will be neither rockets nor tunnels. The Strip will flourish. There will be no confrontations. This argument, which is prevalent in certain circles, in the world and in Israel, should be examined against the backdrop of Operation Northern Shield.
Well, Israel is not imposing any blockade on Lebanon, which is controlled by Hezbollah. There is no historical conflict with the Lebanese people. Lebanon has even been the focal point of tourism in the Arab world for many years; great beaches, restaurants, and a dazzling nightlife — a paradise.
Turning to Hamas for a moment, we must ask: Will the Gaza Strip begin to flourish once the blockade is lifted? Will Hamas change its skin?
Hezbollah provides us with the answer. It is not about the blockade or a particular conflict, nor is it a border dispute. It is the abhorrent hatred that permeates the Jihad organizations, Sunni and Shiite alike.
After all, this happens wherever Jihad advocates gain power or take over, even in countries, and in fact, especially in countries where there is no significant presence of Americans, Jews, or Europeans. After all, Hezbollah can allow Lebanon to thrive and prosper. But it prefers to invest all its resources in the death industry.
The confrontation will come. And even assuming that Israel will be hit and suffer, and it will be hit, Lebanon will return to the Middle Ages. And despite the obvious outcome, Hezbollah continues.
It is not clear why anyone thinks that Hamas is any different from Hezbollah. That does not mean that Hamas should not be offered a generous deal on the basis of "rehabilitation in return for demilitarization." But all we have to do is look at Hezbollah, in order to know that Hamas' response is obvious.
Narcosralla
Hezbollah is not only an international terrorist organization, it is also an international criminal organization. Much of the organization's income comes from cocaine trade. President Obama, upon his election, adopted a conciliatory policy and declared intention to engage in dialogue and integrate Hezbollah into Lebanese politics.
In 2008, five years before he was appointed head of the CIA, John Brennan wrote a position paper that outlines the new appeasement policy toward Iran and Hezbollah. "The president must implement a policy of integration that encourages the moderates," he wrote.
It is possible that appeasement can work. But as far as Iran and Hezbollah are concerned, their appetite is only growing. Instead of restraint, Iran stuck its long arms throughout the Middle East, to Yemen, Syria, and total control over Lebanon through Hezbollah.
And furthermore, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) exposed the huge drug trafficking and money laundering network of Hezbollah as part of Operation Cassandra. Hezbollah, in conjunction with Latin American drug cartels, committed crimes on American soil. But the US administration decided that appeasement is more important than combating crime and terrorism, and instructed its agencies to turn a blind eye so as not to irritate the monster and not distract from signing the nuclear agreement with Iran.
John Kelly, the man who headed the Cassandra operation, claims that "Hezbollah is one of the largest transnational crime organizations in the world." But gradually it became clear to him and the FBI agents dealing with issues related to Iran that their work was for naught. The matter was revealed last year in a detailed, worldwide report by Politico magazine, which apparently gave immunity to the monster. The Obama doctrine apparently gave immunity to the monster.
