What a Ceasefire Would Mean Right Now

So many people are calling for a ceasefire. I’m not sure they really understand what this would entail.

Credit: Dila Cakir

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So many people across the world are increasingly calling for a ceasefire right now.

Two new polls show a growing desire among the U.S. public for Israel to wind down its war against Hamas, amid anxiety over the toll it has taken on civilians in Gaza.

More than two thirds of respondents say they agreed with the statement that “Israel should call a ceasefire and try to negotiate.” Did these respondents fall asleep during the three-week period after the Palestinian massacre and kidnapping on October 7th, and before Israel’s ground incursion, when Israelis were, in the most obvious way possible, feverishly negotiating for the release of the hostages?

Did they not understand that Israel eventually realized that there is no real negotiating partner on the other side, and therefore a military option was our only other option, both to put physical pressure on Hamas and restore Israel’s national security?

Yesterday in the United Kingdom, meanwhile, the parliament voted on a motion calling for an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza. It was ultimately shot down, but one-third of Members of Parliament voted in favor of it.

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive, reacted by saying: “This vote was a historic missed opportunity for Members of Parliament to show they genuinely support the protection of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.”

No, you dummy, Israeli civilians don’t want a ceasefire. Stop trying to project one on us. We live here, you don’t. Stop trying to act like you know what’s better for us.

One woman, a micro-influencer, wrote me recently on Instagram, saying: “I refuse to sacrifice any children — Jewish, Palestinian, Sudanese, Italian, whatever. This is why we need diplomacy, not bombs. The world is watching and an actual peace process could be worked through. But it’s never going to happen through endless war.”

Diplomacy with terrorists? How’s that worked out for you, sweetheart?

An actual peace process could be worked out? Like the 10 other ones that the Palestinians have refused since the 1930s? Or is 11 a lucky number that I’m unaware of in Palestinian society?

Others are calling for a ceasefire without first demanding the release of all 240 people kidnapped by Palestinians. This has literally been Israel’s position since day one of this war: Release the 240 people in captivity and we can reach a ceasefire. How much more clearly do we need to spell it out for you?

But sure, for the sheer fun of it, let’s look at what a ceasefire would mean right now:

Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization would remain in power. This poses an immediate and long-term threat both for Palestinians and Israelis, if you haven’t been following the news.

Much of Gaza has been destroyed because much of Gaza was used as terrorist infrastructure, making all of these military targets completely legitimate according to international law. Who’s going to clean up all this rubble and rebuild Gaza if there’s a ceasefire?

Hamas? You mean the organization that has kept the people of Gaza impoverished and blockaded since it violently grasped governing power in 2007?

What about the United Nations? You mean, the organization that has for years funneled billions of dollars to Gaza, yet has nothing to show for it? Except, well, for the “open air prison” that so many call the strip.

What about the United States? You do realize that many Americans claim to be against this war because they’re “paying for it.” Ah, but surely, as long as their tax dollars are going to Gaza reconstruction — and by Gaza reconstruction, I mean Hamas rearmament — that’ll be perfectly acceptable to American taxpayers.

What about Egypt? You mean, the other country that neighbors Gaza and has also blockaded it for years?

Moving on, if Israel is forced by ignorant and naive international pressure to cut its honorable military campaign short, Israel might do so. (It also might not.) But, for the sake of argument, let’s say Israel calls it quits. Do you know who supplies Gaza with electricity, water, and currency? That’s right, Israel. We do this, not because we have to, but because Israelis are humanitarians (contrary to popular opinion, of course).

There is no law, no statue, nothing that demands Israel provide electricity, water, and currency (the Israeli shekel) to Gaza, especially in a non-war time. And just like there is pressure from the international arena for a ceasefire, there will also be completely legitimate pressure from Israelis — far and wide across the political spectrum — to cut off all ties with Gaza. If you’re concerned about the people of Gaza right now, I can only imagine how you’ll feel when they’re no longer receiving electricity, water, and currency from Israel.

In Israel, a ceasefire would create an immediate national security threat both in southern and northern Israel. As it is, Israelis who were living on and near the Israel-Gaza border towns cannot go back to their homes right now because of the destruction caused by Palestinians on October 7th. And Israelis in northern Israel will live in overwhelming fear that another terrorist organization, Hezbollah in Lebanon, is lurking in the shadows of the next unexpected attack on Israel.

Just to be clear, the Palestinians deserve peace and quiet, but Israelis in northern and southern Israel don’t? Would you be willing to trade your home with these Israelis, so they can live with the peace of mind that another Islam-inspired massacre won’t take place in their communities? If you’re so overly enthusiastic about a ceasefire right now, I’m sure you’d at least consider it, right?

As a result of this unprecedented national security threat, Israeli intelligence agencies would have to focus all of their resources on securing our homeland, which means they’d be less available to help neighboring countries like Egypt and Jordan, both of which have said that the Israeli intelligence community is integral to securing their own borders. As such, a ceasefire would threaten Egypt and Jordan as well.

It would also make Israeli intelligence agencies less available to look after Jews across the world, which is normally a part of their jurisdiction. Just a few days ago, the Mossad helped prevent a terrorist attack against Jews in Brazil. All you Jews calling for a ceasefire right now, are you okay with your fellow Jews — and even your own Jewish family and friends — being less protected across the world?

The national security threat in Israel could also overflow into multinational companies which have critical assets here. For example, Intel has a major chip plant 30 kilometers (20 miles) from northern Gaza. All the major tech companies — Meta, Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, IBM — have extensive research and development operations across Israel. As does Huawei, Johnson & Johnson, SAP, Sony, Visa, Philips, Pepsi Company, Qualcomm, and Pfizer, among dozens of others.

A ceasefire would also radicalize the Palestinians even more than they already are. Right now, there is plenty of footage of people in Gaza thanking the Israeli military for starting to eradicate a terrorist group that has effectively taken two million of them hostage during the last 16 years. Certainly, you’ll never see this footage and hear about these stories in the mainstream media because it doesn’t suit their agendas.

Should a ceasefire come into effect right now, the people of Gaza will be in no-mans-land, because Israel will have only partially completed Hamas’ eradication job, and Hamas will effectively remain in power. Knowing how Hamas does blatant and belligerent antisemitic business, I can only imagine how the terrorist organization will use Israel’s “job not done” to further brainwash and compel people in Gaza to subscribe to the words of Hamas’ Muslim preachers, who say things like:

“Our doctrine in fighting the Jews is that we will totally exterminate them. We will not leave a single one of them alive, because they are alien usurpers of the land and eternal mercenaries.”

In the Palestinian territories, such propaganda is indoctrinated in children from very young ages, as they are taught the supreme value and various methods of killing Jews. In United Nations schools, mosques, and other government-sanctioned venues, they learn to glorify hatred and nurture violence. In “summer camps,” they teach kids how to fire automatic weapons and kidnap Israelis.

Naturally, this only turns more Palestinians into terrorists who will try to kill as many Israelis (i.e. Jews) as possible, only leading to more wars and more destruction. It seems this consequence of a ceasefire right now would go in the “not good for Palestinians, not good for Israelis” category — but maybe I’m wrong.

A ceasefire would also alienate countries calling for it from Israel — countries that depend on Israel’s diplomatic relations, innovation, employees, and other assets that I can only imagine Israel and Israelis will be far less interested in providing.

A ceasefire would also make Jews all over the world feel unsafe wherever they are. Antisemitism would skyrocket, especially on college campuses. Jews are among the top professors and doctoral candidates at many of these universities; they might opt for teaching in another country, or taking a break from the profession, which only hurts the universities. That is, unless they don’t want Jews on their campuses.

A ceasefire would also make it clear to citizens in some 30 countries that, when they travel abroad, they can’t count on their country to release them from captivity if they get kidnapped by terrorists. Why do I say this? Because of the 240 people kidnapped by Palestinians, some of them are from 30 different countries. Why are their governments not being crystal clear that a ceasefire is only acceptable upon their release from captivity? Do these governments, and the people who elect them, like the Palestinians more than their own citizens?

And do these governments and the people who elect them not realize that a ceasefire right now would only embolden more terrorists around the world to kidnap more people, from as many countries as possible, in an effort to get their governments to acquiesce to these terrorists’ ridiculously dangerous demands?

A ceasefire would also make the West look even weaker than it already does, most notably the United States. Mind you, at the start of this war (that Hamas started), U.S. President Joe Biden flamboyantly supported Israel’s stated goals of returning all the hostages and toppling Hamas in Gaza.

If Biden passively or actively supports a ceasefire without these two goals being achieved in earnest, dictators like Russia’s Putin, Iran’s Khamenei, and China’s Jinping will perceive the U.S.-led West as nothing short of weak, which could have existential implications for Europe, Asia, and the domestic U.S. Not to mention, this could also send a message to U.S. allies that it’s not exactly the “great friend” it proclaims to be.

A ceasefire could even hurt Biden and the Democrats’ chances of securing reelection in 2024, since the Republican candidate (probably Donald Trump) will expose Biden’s wavering support of one of the Unites States’ most important allies. As if Trump needs more ammunition to fire at an aging and, in some ways, out-of-touch Biden.

For now, let’s remember a few pertinent points about a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war:

• Palestinians broke a ceasefire on October 7th when they attacked Israel in the most sadistic, barbaric ways the modern world has ever seen. Now they want a ceasefire. I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works.

• For ceasefire calls to work and be credible, those pushing them need to offer a plausible alternative for Israel that would prevent Hamas from doing what they did again. Otherwise, Hamas and other actors will see what they did as successful, and begin planning the next attempt.

But you don’t want a lesson in counterterrorism, do you?

Instead, let’s make things personal. I'm just trying to imagine a scenario where your child or your parent was among the 240 kidnapped by Palestinians. As I’m sure you know, there are 30 children among the 240 kidnapped, including a 9-month-old and a newborn, and elderly folks as well.

I’m also trying to imagine how you would respond to people who have no real knowledge of this conflict, who have absolutely no skin in the game, calling for a ceasefire in the name of whatever they dreamt about last night.

Would you tell them that it’s time to negotiate and renegotiate with genocidal terrorists, no matter what?

How would you react if someone, who by the way has never been to Israel or Gaza, said that a ceasefire shows “genuine” support for all parties? If someone suggested that diplomacy is a legitimate negotiating strategy for dealing with Islamic fundamentalist terrorists? If someone recommended that we just casually look at another iteration of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process after it has literally been tried 10 times in less than 10 decades?

What I’m describing to you about your child or your parent being kidnapped among 240 others is not a hypothetical situation. In Israel, it’s very real.

Virtually everyone knows someone who has lost someone or been kidnapped on October 7th in Israel — including me. That’s right, I know three — three! — of the 240 people who were kidnapped by Palestinians on October 7th.

So make no mistake about it, us people in Israel, we’re a tiny country of nine million people, and we’d love your support as we willingly sacrifice the lives, families, careers, and mental health of thousands of our own people to eradicate pure evil on our border, to restore safety and security for both Palestinians and Israel.

But we don’t need your support. We Jews built our country alone, we Jews paid for it alone, and we Jews died for it alone. Being isolated by the rest of the world is nothing new in Israeli history, and it sure as hell ain’t new in Jewish history.

We are not phased by your lack of support. In Israel, we talk about the international community all the time, and we mostly laugh at how ignorant, naive, and uneducated so many of you are.

Israelis serve our country, travel the world, and earn an average of two university degrees. Hence how we took a tiny sliver of the Middle East that was completely underdeveloped and ignored by much of the world (probably because it’s the only place in our region that doesn’t have oil), and we created a country here in our indigenous homeland, a refuge for Jews across the world who for thousands of years have been at the relentless mercy of antisemitism.

But we did so much more than creating a country and offering a refuge. We became one of the strongest economies on this planet, while churning out the most college degrees, museums, and startups per capita. Never mind that we generate the second-most scientific research per capita, the most hi-tech “unicorns” per capita, the most dairy-producing cows, the world’s first egalitarian youth scouts movement and, since 1966, the most Nobel Prize winners per capita.

And this, precisely this, is why so many people are calling for a ceasefire right now. It’s not that they care so much about the Palestinians. It’s that they can’t stand the sight of Jews — a population that is no more than 15 or 16 million worldwide —continuing to dominate in the face of persistent erasure, extraction, and oppression across thousands of years.

We can accept this reality, since it’s extremely common for people to be jealous of us Jews, but we will not accept a ceasefire until all the hostages are returned to Israel, and until Hamas is but a mere afterthought in Gaza.

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