Israel: Kerry, Go Home

by Joel B. Pollak

Jul 22, 2014 5:53 AM PT

"There is no real option for a cease-fire now. This operation is unavoidable." 

Those were the words of an Israeli minister on Tuesday, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Cairo, Egypt to push for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas terror group. The Israeli leader who poured cold water on Kerry's mission was not, however, a hard-liner, but one of the most dovish members of the government.

The leader, Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni, added: "Hamas is not close to a cease-fire in terms of its conditions," according to theJerusalem Post. 

For context, it is important to note that Livni is one of the Israeli politicians favored by the far-left American group J Street, which has opposed Israel's defensive wars in Gaza in the past, and which pulled out of a pro-Israel rally in Boston this week, reportedly after pressure from its members.

Livni has recognized what Kerry and the Obama administration refuse to understand: that Hamas is not, and will never be, interested in peace or co-existence with Israel. 

Former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren went further on Monday, noting that Kerry had clearly not been invited to the ceasefire talks by Egypt, and that the Obama administration had come to be seen as a hindrance, not a help, in Israel's diplomatic efforts.

One Israeli analysis of Arab affairs quoted by the Times of Israel even called Kerry's visit "bad for Israel." A ceasefire at this stage would prevent Israel from destroying Hamas's massive underground tunnel network, which it has attempted to use to attack civilians inside Israel. 

As with nuclear talks with Iran, recently extended for four months, the Obama administration seeks peace at any price. For Israel, that price is far too high.

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