A viewers went down a blunt line under one of my messages.
“Hamas are terrorists. They can not be negotiated with. They have to be removed. Ideally, after Hamas, a new generation of Palestinians will certainly arise that wants to sit down and negotiate with Israel.”
That view is not unusual. It reflects a doctrine many federal governments swear by. You don’t speak to terrorists. You crush them. Just then, if anything makes it through, comes discussion.
The Doctrine: No Talks With Terrorists
We’ve seen this rule before.
- After 9/ 11 the United States did not rest throughout the table from al-Qaeda. It got into Afghanistan and tried to tear the network out by its origins. [Brookings]
- When ISIS stormed Iraq and Syria, nobody sent peace envoys. The union combated them with bombs and unique pressures until the so-called caliphate broke down. [BBC]
- West Germany in the 1970 s? The Red Military Faction planted bombs and kidnapped officials. They consulted with police bullets and jail cells. Not a bargaining table. [DW]
The logic feels basic. If you compensate horror with talks, you invite much more horror.