I call on you to pause and think. What would you want your government to do if hundreds of British citizens were kidnapped during a barbarous terror rampage against your country?
Would you hesitate in fighting for the release of those suffering hostages? Would you allow the terrorists responsible to survive and prepare their next onslaught?
Blessed by the lottery of geography, the UK doesn’t share borders with a genocidal terror group. For much of the last century, Britons haven’t been compelled to defend their communities.
The UK’s wars are fought thousands of miles away. A problem that exists out of sight and mind. The Israeli experience couldn’t be more different.
Since that dark 7th October day, Israel has been attacked from seven different directions. It has met each aggressor with resilience and military professionalism, neutering the world’s largest terror group in Hezbollah and dramatically degrading Iran’s missile and nuclear capabilities.
In each of these theatres, military success has been achieved with minimal civilian casualties, which puts into context Hamas’s cynical strategy of fighting from within its civilian population.
Israel finds itself under the microscope again. Tragic incidents like the killing of 20 people by the IDF at the Nasser Hospital are painful for Israelis.
Blessed by the lottery of geography, the UK doesn’t share borders with a genocidal terror group - Jonathan Conricus
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The IDF was right to accept responsibility and launch an investigation, and action should be taken against those found responsible of wrongdoing. That is how Western armies committed to international law conduct themselves.
My former colleagues in the IDF are in an invidious position. Hamas’s well-documented firing from hospitals, moonlighting of Hamas fighters as journalists and aid workers, and dissemination of misinformation would pose an unenviable challenge for any Western army.
As an Israeli, it has been hard to witness the hatred of my country and anti-Jewish racism unleashed by this terrible war. There is, however, one simple truth.
This war can end today if Hamas surrenders and releases the 50 remaining hostages so cruelly kept in underground dungeons for nearly 700 days. It is no more complicated than that.
The line of questioning I’ve recently encountered from interviewers reveals the distorted prism through which many view this conflict.
Assertions that Israel has cruelly rejected a ceasefire deal last week are warped. Israel wants this war to end, but its defence establishment has reasonably concluded that any ceasefire deal must include the immediate release of all hostages.
If just one Israeli remains in Hamas’s hands, they will manipulatively leverage this. The war will drag on, innocent people will continue to suffer, and the region will be unable to move on.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has been another contentious flash point. Given the prevalence of misinformation and politicised agendas around this conflict, I view with scepticism the IPC’s declaration of famine in Gaza. For two years, it has claimed that famine was imminent despite never materialising.
Curious also that a few days ago, it lowered the threshold at which famine could be declared in Gaza compared with other parts of the world.
None of this is to say that there isn’t hunger in Gaza. The accusation, however, that Israel is behind the situation is for the birds. The Israel-backed GHF organisation has delivered a remarkable 132 million meals since May to the people who most need it.
So, what is behind the hunger? The United Nations, which stubbornly refuses to assist Israel’s aid efforts, quietly announced that over 80% of its aid is ‘intercepted’.
Gazans post regular videos of Hamas wildly firing from hijacked lorries. Unthinkable though it may be, starvation has been Hamas’s strategy to create diplomatic pressure on Israel.
Negotiations continue against the backdrop of Israel preparing a major military incursion into Gaza City, Hamas’s last stronghold. I interpret this within the context of the negotiation process and as a last-ditch attempt to force Hamas to surrender.
This is not a fait accompli and can be averted, especially with pressure from Hamas’s Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators. Of course, it mustn’t be forgotten that this pressure was only necessitated after Hamas rejected a ceasefire deal following the UK’s counterproductive recognition of a Palestinian state, which Hamas proclaimed the “fruit” of 7th October.
The coming days will be hard for Gazans - the horrible reality of war. Abused by their oppressive Hamas overlords, they have also been betrayed by Egypt, which refuses to temporarily relocate Gazans, a rejection unparalleled in modern times. The people of Gaza deserve a life free from war.
This is why Israel is taking the most humane course of action in encouraging Gaza City’s civilians to relocate to humanitarian zones.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Israel shouldn’t be alone in applying maximum pressure on Hamas.
If the UK wants this war to end and cares about the plight of Palestinians, it must join Israel in demanding that Hamas agree to a final agreement which ensures Hamas releases all hostages and relinquishes its military capabilities and control of Gaza.