Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is arguing against a full cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, arguing it would allow Hamas to refuel and prolong the conflict.
She said she supports the Biden administration’s approach to the war, but called for more humanitarian pauses in fighting.
Clinton made her arguments in an op-ed in The Atlantic titled “Hamas must go.”
Agreeing with the Biden administration, Clinton said a full cease-fire would give Hamas the opportunity to strengthen and attack again.
“Hamas would claim that it had won and it would remain a key part of Iran’s so-called axis of resistance,” she said in the op-ed. “Cease-fires freeze conflicts rather than resolve them.”
At the same time, she backed humanitarian pauses, which would allow aid to be sent Gaza’s civilians and the hostages taken by Hamas. The Biden administration has also supported such pauses while balking at calls from some Democrats to back a cease-fire.
Breaks in fighting can help “aid workers and refugees” and “facilitate hostage negotiations,” Clinton wrote.
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Clinton said she could eventually agree to a cease-fire, but that it must happen at the correct time.
Clinton also called for new Israeli leadership, saying the country’s “policy of containment” has failed. Going forward, Clinton said Israel’s government should “reaffirm Israeli democracy” and “resist the urge to reoccupy the territory after the war.”
Israel should “accept an international mandated interim administration for governing the Strip, and support regional efforts to reform and revive the Palestinian Authority, so it has the credibility and the means to resume control of Gaza.”
“Ultimately, the only way to ensure Israel’s future as a secure, democratic, Jewish state is by achieving two states for two peoples,” Clinton continued. “But when the guns fall silent, the hard work of peace building must begin. There is no other choice.”