In a forceful editorial, The Wall Street Journal board defended the State of Israel's decision to make a military incursion into Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, to completely neutralize the terrorist group Hamas and achieve the release of the hostages.
"Early Monday morning Israel ordered the evacuation of eastern Rafah, directing civilians to safety. In the afternoon Israeli tanks advanced. The plan is to evacuate and fight in the city piece by piece, swiftly moving civilians north and west without leaving Hamas free to tie down the people as human shields," the article reads.
"Objections are pouring in from the usual suspects. France says displacing Rafah’s civilians is a crime. Would it prefer that Israel fight among them, or simply leave Hamas alone?" asks the WSJ board.
"The invasion of Rafah was made necessary on Oct. 7, when Hamas slaughtered 1,200 Israelis," the newspaper asserts.
According to the media, Israel is obliged not only to respond to the Oct. 7 invasion, but to pacify the Gaza Strip, dismantle Hamas and prevent future massacres. It is their responsibility as a state towards Israelis.
Therefore, says The Wall Street Journal, "Mr. Biden’s decision to set himself against any move on Rafah is hard to understand."
"Since there was no other way Israel could achieve its objectives, it put the President on the side of Israeli defeat and Hamas victory," it adds.
Then, the newspaper's board goes on to explain the reasons why the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, where most of the civilian population of the strip is concentrated today, is so key to Israel achieving its goals.
The WSJ article says that "Rafah hosts Hamas’s leaders, four terrorist battalions, hostages and border crossing with Egypt, from which it controls incoming aid and smuggles in military supplies."
"It is the crucial city for the terrorist group’s future," it adds.
For the newspaper, the fact that Hamas has proposed a ceasefire just before Israel entered Rafah is a sign of how much the terrorist group is interested in maintaining control of the city. Therefore, the ceasefire would have been intended to deter or postpone an Israeli incursion.
"Interesting what real pressure can accomplish."
"Only when Rafah is in danger of falling will Hamas be ready to hand over its remaining hostages," the newspaper says.
Israel must succeed in its operation to eliminate the Hamas terrorist group and, despite what public opinion and the positions of some governments, such as Biden's, are urging for, the Western democratic world must accompany Israel, since it is fighting for the same cause.
The Wall Street Journal remembers in its editorial that the incursion is not a whim of the Netanyahu government, which has been turned into a guinea pig: "Israel’s war cabinet, which includes Mr. Netanyahu’s main political rival, unanimously decided to move forward in Rafah while sending negotiators 'to exhaust the possibility of reaching an agreement.'"
Finally, the newspaper concludes its strong editorial, saying that "if Mr. Biden wants a cease-fire that matters, he will support Israel and let Hamas remember what it’s like to negotiate with its back against the wall."
