An opinion article from Israel National News argues that Hamas should be treated as a defeated enemy after Israel’s military response to the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, not as a force still able to shape terms through negotiation. The writer says that assumption should guide any discussion of a peace arrangement.
To make that case, the piece points to the U.S. demand for unconditional surrender from Japan in World War II. The comparison is used to argue that when an enemy has been beaten, the normal expectation is capitulation rather than bargaining from a position of strength.
From that perspective, the article criticizes what it describes as Trump’s peace plan, saying it makes Israel appear to be the side absorbing the political loss. The author frames that outcome as backwards, given Israel’s campaign against Hamas after the October attack.
The broader message of the opinion essay is that any plan seen as rewarding Hamas, or treating it as an equal negotiating partner after severe military setbacks, misunderstands the balance of power. In the writer’s view, that is why the proposal is being presented as a strategic and political mistake for Israel.
