President Trump’s brilliant diplomacy has resulted in freeing the hostages and implementing a ceasefire. If the truce persists, it will be a great accomplishment and an important step toward peace — if only a cold peace — in the region.
It might also provide a stepping stone to a more enduring and somewhat warmer peace. Mr. Trump deserves enormous credit for his role in putting together a coalition of Arab and Muslim states and in pressuring both sides to accept what they each understandably regard as compromises.
It is important to note, though, that Israel’s decisive military victories in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran were the essential prerequisite to Mr. Trump’s accomplishments. These victories, which were extremely costly to both sides in human lives, made it possible to pressure Hamas to accept an agreement which many Hamas supporters regard as near-suicidal to the organization.
Because of Israel’s spectacular military accomplishments, Hamas lost the support of its major allies, especially Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran. It was also in the process of losing support among Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, because of the enormous toll the war, started by Hamas, exacted from civilians. Without Israel’s military successes combined with Mr. Trump’s diplomatic pressures, Hamas would still be fighting, the hostages would still be in Gaza tunnels, and there would be more bloodshed and death on both sides.
Israel, too, would have abandoned the Philadelphi corridor; it would never have bombed Iranian nuclear facilities; it would not have aggressively gone after Hezbollah and other Iranian surrogates in the region; and it would have agreed to a cease-fire on disadvantageous terms.
Even if it had followed this awful advice, the anti-Israel and antisemitic demonstrations around the world would not have diminished, because they were not designed to help Palestinians, but rather to hurt the nation-state of the Jewish people. Israel was wise to ignore the ignorant and bigoted condemnation and name calling that it has endured since October 7. It was wise to focus on the only thing its enemies in the middle east understand, and that is victory through strength.
Israel’s enemies had to be convinced that the Israeli blood that was shed on October 7 was not cheap and that future attempts to shed Jewish blood — whether in the Middle East or around the world — will be responded to disproportionately. The message Israel has sent is that for every Israeli life that is taken by terrorists, multiple terrorists’ lives will be taken, even if that requires some collateral damage to non-terrorists who support or cheer-on the terrorism.
This justly disproportionate payback will not be deterred by these terrorists hiding behind human shields. Nor will it be deterred by fear of bigoted and one-sided condemnation of Israel by antisemites. Whatever legitimate criticisms may have been directed at Israel overreactions, were drowned out by the illegitimate condemnation of Israel for doing what every democracy would do and has done.
The only response terrorists understand is making them pay a disproportionately heavy price for endangering Israeli life. Hamas leaders have threatened to repeat October 7, over and over again. Israel has counter threatened that if they try to repeat October 7, Israel will repeat the two years that followed it, including the targeting of your leaders, wherever they are.
Deterrence through disproportionately overwhelming strength is the only way the Jewish state can live in peace and safety. It is also the only way other Arab and Muslim nations will consider making real peace and joining the Abraham Accords.
This reality — and its corollary that weakness produces aggression and death — has been proven over and over again through the millennia. As the Psalmist wrote: “God will give his people strength.” And then: “God will bless his people with peace.”
This self-evident truth was proven once again when Mr. Trump was able to bring about peace following demonstrated overwhelming strength by Israel and America. This peace will endure only as long as this overwhelming strength endures, along with a willingness to use it when necessary.
Alan Dershowitz is professor emeritus at Harvard Law School and the author of “Get Trump,” “Guilt by Accusation” and “The Price of Principle.” This piece is republished from the Alan Dershowitz Newsletter.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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