Recent hostilities between Hamas and Israel continue a decades-old war. Hamas persists in its relentless aerial bombardment of Israel. The raid targeting, assaulting, terrorizing, slaughtering, kidnapping, and ransoming of civilians exposes the depravity of Hamas. Israel fights to survive, but Hamas plots to destroy Israel. Hamas can end the war by renouncing violence and attempts to destroy Israel.
Apparently, Hamas has learned little from decades of failure. Wise people learn from successes and failures. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King demonstrated that passive resistance can improve a people’s future. Despite an authoritarian regime and the memories of 3 million dead and a million disabled children from a war thrust upon them, a majority of Vietnamese have chosen to welcome former enemies to build a promising and secure future. Thousands of lives, billions of dollars, vast infrastructure and material resources squandered on war could have built a brighter future for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel is not without guilt in these conflicts and often reacts in fear of the hostiles on her borders. If Palestinians will abandon violence and act peacefully, the world and a majority of compassionate Israelis will likely support a Palestinian state.
