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Jay Tcath is the executive vice president of the Jewish United Fund. He wrote this column for the Chicago Tribune.
Imagine it’s weeks after 9/11 in fall 2001. Grief, uncertainty and fear are palpable across our country. The nation’s sense of security is shattered.
Now imagine that Chicago’s streets have been filled from that life-changing day with protesters demanding that America accept an unconditional ceasefire with al-Qaida. Though that terrorist group has the desire and capability to inflict additional carnage, the protesters, joined by some city council members and members of Congress, claim any American military response is unjustified.
It takes no imagination to realize that this reaction to 9/11 would have been rejected immediately. But such a response was never required because Americans would not have supported a ceasefire in that defining, still dangerous moment in our history.
Now imagine it is a month since Oct. 7, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Imagine further that the perpetrator, the terrorist group Hamas, and pro-Palestinian supporters are demanding that Israel impose a ceasefire on its efforts to defend its people. That scenario also requires no imagination. It is precisely what Israel hears, on the streets of Chicago and in the city council and the halls of Congress.
Of course, some ceasefires thankfully do offer a welcome pause in the suffering and a genuine step toward peace. Yet a ceasefire today in the war Hamas started against Israel is precisely what is not needed now. A ceasefire today would not end the suffering — either for Israelis or Gaza’s civilians. That’s because Hamas’ intent is not to keep a peaceful ceasefire.
An immediate ceasefire does nothing for the 240 hostages being held by Hamas, among whom are a dozen Americans, plus women, children, people with disabilities and Holocaust survivors. A ceasefire maintains Hamas’ despotic rule over Palestinians and its ability to wage terror against our ally Israel.
An unconditional ceasefire rewards Hamas and would advance its long-standing, transparent, five-staged strategy:
Sporadically launch ever-escalating attacks against Israel. Consider the attacks in 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2021 and now the barbaric slaughter of Oct. 7. These attacks violated existing ceasefires, and the United Nations-recognized international border.
2As soon as Israel responds, plead to the world, in the name of humanity, for a ceasefire.
Until a ceasefire is reached, exploit humanitarian pauses and aid convoys by diverting fuel intended for hospitals to launching rockets, smuggling military supplies into aid trucks and sneaking terrorists out in ambulances.
When the ceasefire is achieved, start training for the next attack, expand the arsenal, educate youths to hate, draw ever closer to Iran and exploit for political sympathy the further impoverishment of Palestinians.
The grand finale in this strategy is shamelessly repeated by Hamas official Ghazi Hamad: “We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do this again and again … on Oct. 7, Oct. 10, October one-millionth, everything we do is justified.” Asked if this means until Israel is annihilated, he has responded, matter-of-factly, “Yes, of course.”
Those are Hamas’ evil, avowed intentions. A concession-free ceasefire is a step forward for Hamas’ terror strategy. It is not a step toward peace.
Hamas’ rampage against civilians was itself a violation of an existing ceasefire. The group’s planning included the certainty that pro-Palestinian supporters, as soon as Israel responded, would cry on cue, “Ceasefire now!”
Israel may ultimately agree to a ceasefire for the release of hostages or in a newfound faith that humanitarian aid may finally bypass Hamas and help innocent Gazans. Until then, all those urging a ceasefire are serving Hamas’ enduring goal: the killing of Jews, the annihilation of Israel and the continued oppression of Palestinians. While these people’s goals may indeed be noble, they are not Hamas’ goals.
It takes no imagination to realize why so many Americans don’t love what a ceasefire with Hamas means. We recall, somberly, the ceasefire, and much, much more that didn’t survive Oct. 7.
