Where’s the Arab pressure on Hamas to surrender?

Almost no government in the Middle East (or anywhere) wants the group to continue to hold the Gazans hostage. It's high time they made this clear.

The devastating war in Gaza could end immediately if Hamas laid down its arms, and this is what most governments in the Middle East and the world actually desire. It would be a gift first and foremost to the people of Gaza – who have been living under a terrorist mafia for 16 years. So why are we not hearing more clarity?

This week brings fevered anticipation about an Israeli offensive against Rafah, the town in the south of the strip where almost 1.5 million people – almost two-thirds of the Gaza population – have been sheltering as Israel operated to the north. Many huddle in tents awaiting tanks to roll in and try to uproot their terrorist overlords.

President Biden finally spoke to Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend, demanding a real plan to protect the population. Egypt is warning Israel to not compel refugees to cross the border into Sinai, and even threatening this could endanger the peace. Nerves are truly on edge, so perhaps the thinking is not straight.

Israel’s track record on protecting the Gaza population is — in the most charitable possible view — inglorious. Many civilians have been killed — perhaps two-thirds of the 27,000 reported deaths in Gaza so far. Israel and its defenders — like West Point urban warfare expert John Spencer – will tell you that ratio is not only acceptable but even laudable in a situation in which armed maniacs are dug in and holding a population hostage. Israel’s critics see genocide and are disinterested in excuses.

The global discourse has focused on two scenarios in the coming days — but it is strangely missing the most logical and morally defensible one.