The representatives of 25 countries officially became Hamas spokesmen.
The one thing I most regret about our short trip to Hawaii was that I did not have enough time to visit the battleship, USS Missouri. I very much wanted to stand at the exact spot where five-star general Douglas MacArthur conducted the Japanese surrender ceremony. Admiral Chester Nimitz, also wearing five stars, should have led the program as it took place on one of his ships, but he deferred to the Supreme Commander of the Pacific theater and MacArthur did not disappoint. I have all but memorized his closing statement, and I wish that he had been right about peace continuing forever.
During the ceremony, General MacArthur gave two of the pens he used to generals Wainright and Percival, both of whom had been taken prisoner by the Japanese and still looked pencil-thin on the Mighty Mo’s deck. After the Japanese had signed the instruments of surrender, MacArthur called up representatives of all of the nations that had fought together to defeat the Nazis and Japanese in World War II. It’s quite a spectacle to see British, Australian, Dutch, French, Soviet and other officers come in their traditional military attire in order to sign the documents. And while Japan was the official losing party, these countries did not realize that they were also about to surrender as well.
The end of World War II ushered in the age of the superpower. First the US, then the USSR and today China—countries whose military and economic might make them the major movers and shakers of world events. Just before the First Gulf War started, I found myself in Australia, where my father and his parents found refuge from Nazi Germany. What struck me was the press. Whereas the American papers were gearing up for the US going toe-to-toe with Iraq, the Australians were writing as if they were sitting in the bleachers and watching the main event. Sure, they contributed one whole minesweeper. Other than that, they were spectators in the events that transpired in the desert in 1991. And this direction has continued so that while NATO has many member states, they are effectively appendages of the US. Their armies and economies are small compared to their American counterparts, and everyone knows that European forces cannot win a serious war without direct and very active US participation. Whereas the countries signing the documents in Tokyo Bay were key players in the war, those same countries today would be supporting actors for US might.
Recommended
I bring all of this up in response to a statement put out this week. No less than 25 foreign ministers demanded an immediate end to the war in Gaza. The letter is pro-Hamas in every way other than it remembered before signing off to ask that the “detainees” in Gaza (Israeli hostages) be released. The 25 leaders of window dressing countries said that the situation in Gaza was dire and that Israel had to change the method of delivery for humanitarian goods. Hamas could not have produced a finer letter, as its goals serve Hamas’ interests and only prolong the war:
"We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food," said Monday's statement, calling it "horrifying" that "over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid."
For reasons that are unknown, Israel was given the first task in history to feed an enemy population during active hostilities. For more than a year, trucks entered Gaza, were mauled by Hamas members, and the terror group used the free goods to charge locals and generate around $1 billion in revenue to pay fighters and buy weapons. President Trump set up in the cleaned-out south of Gaza a new mechanism for food distribution that was free and was not dependent on Hamas. Israel secured the distant approaches while a local Palestinian militia was used for closer contacts. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has delivered over 80 million meals to Palestinians in Gaza. As Hamas sees a weakening of its rule and the UN sees interference in its UNRWA-supported destruction of Israel, those two groups are not happy about the GHF or its success. Gazans were in shock to get food for free. Early videos showed locals praising Donald Trump and even the IDF. In order to destroy the arrangement, Hamas has attacked those going to get food, leading to daily casualties, often in the tens of people. The international clowns blame Israel for those killed by Hamas. The distribution locations can look chaotic, and a recent picture showed Palestinian men stripped to their shorts by Hamas after the terrorists grabbed them leaving a distribution site. They had received GHF food and the terror group took the food and went on to punish these people for circumventing Hamas.
What bothered the 25 fools from the second-rate countries was the appearance of chaos and the loss of life. They blamed Israel for the latter and demanded that Gaza go back to the UN and Hamas coordinating food, so that Hamas can again get rich and replenish its coffers. The Palestinians, at least some of them, like to have their lives detached from Hamas. They enjoy getting free food from Americans who have no interest in killing or controlling them. The GHF is a direct threat to Hamas similar to the threat that the IDF poses in destroying much of the enclave and controlling over 60 percent of the land there. The 25 foreign ministers ignore that Hamas is behind the killings so as to return humanitarian aid to its control. They played the fools in chastising Israel and demanding an end to the very successful GHF. Again, Hamas could have sent them the final communique, requiring only their signatures.
And while the pompous fools are so proud of themselves for “doing something” to help Gazans, it is Donald Trump who is making the most positive impact on their lives. The IDF is working to end the war, and everyone in Israel wants the hostages home—but not at the cost of leaving Gaza and letting Hamas get ready for its next pogrom. The 25 foreign ministers represent countries that are wonderful tourist destinations and have very limited international power. Those countries were significant players in World War II. When their representatives signed MacArthur’s documents at the war’s conclusion, it was they who chose to surrender to the new American superpower. Their cheap attack of Israel lacks American backing, and that fact says it all.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting about global affairs? Join Townhall VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member