Netanyahu Gets Trump to Say the Quiet Part Out Loud
CBS News dutifully reported Donald Trump's ominous declaration that Hamas faces 'hell to pay' if it doesn't disarm, a warning issued after a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu. This 'ultimatum,' hailed as a new development, is just the latest in a long line of 'final warnings' from Israeli leaders that never actually entail a final resolution—just more violence. Netanyahu himself previously issued
similar 'disarm or else' demands in 2002, 2006, and 2014, each time followed not by peace, but by devastating operations. (Remember 'Cast Lead' in 2008-09, 'Protective Edge' in 2014?). The media frames these statements as genuine policy shifts, rather than the cyclical pronouncements they are. One might wonder if the endless cycle of demanding disarmament from a besieged population, while
simultaneously refusing to address the underlying occupation, is intended to lead anywhere beyond perpetual conflict. But asking such questions would disrupt the narrative, wouldn't it? Better to just repeat the threats and ignore the history.