Ed Morrissey:
Hamas started this war as the governing body of Gaza and with the support of the Gazans on October 7, 2023. They are now losing it, and badly. If they want an end to the war, they can capitulate and ask for terms. If they want a hostages-for-prisoners exchange, they can negotiate that as a separate issue. But after Hamas violated every one of their previous nine cease-fire agreements with Israel -- including the one in place on October 7 before Hamas massacred 1200 Israelis in a single day -- they have very little standing to demand "assurances" on anything from the Israelis.
And in about four weeks, that pressure will end when Trump takes office. He'd prefer to have this deal done before his inauguration so as to eliminate a distraction, but Trump may also be looking for an opportunity to remind the region of what an American "red line" should look like. Hamas is all alone now in providing An Example To Others, if you know what I mean, and Trump will likely waste little time in driving that point home.
# posted by Ranger @ 8:07 PM
