OPINION:
A lever is needed to return hostages held in Gaza. America, working in concert with our allies Israel and Egypt, must innovate to aid in the creation of this mechanism. We must also remove the cloak of victimhood that Hamas uses to attract support around the world. This can in part be accomplished by arraying the horrific actions of this terrorist organization against a background of humanitarian efforts undertaken by the United States to alleviate suffering.
Israel complies with the law of war that prohibits the targeting of civilians, but civilians are injured and killed in armed conflict. Indeed, international humanitarian law recognizes that civilians may be harmed when they are near legitimate military targets whose destruction conveys a projected military advantage. This advantage, however, must outweigh the anticipated attendant harm, which must not be inordinate.
The concept of proportionality is most often misstated by the media to mean that all reactions in battle must not exceed the destructive power of the initial blow. This is incorrect: The object in war is to win, not to trade blows endlessly.
To win this fight, which Israel did not seek, Israel must destroy Hamas. This, however, does not mean that Israel and its allies cannot show compassion. Compassion in conflict defines the ethos of Israel and the United States. It is this concern that our actions must demonstrate to a world deceived by a campaign of disinformation organized by Iran, Russia and China.
On April 15, 2022, in The Wall Street Journal, the deployment of U.S. hospital ships was proposed to ease the suffering caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:
“NATO must increase its humanitarian aid immediately. The U.S. Navy’s Sealift Command should sail America’s two hospital ships to the region, perhaps docking them in Romania. Each of these vessels has 1,000 beds and is guarded from attack by international conventions to which Russia is a party. These ships would provide medical care to Russian prisoners of war in addition to Ukrainians.”
Sadly, this was not done by the Biden administration, though such action could have saved hundreds if not thousands of Ukrainian and Russian lives. Now, national security officials who served in the administrations of both Democratic and Republican presidents propose the following course to alleviate suffering in Gaza. The noted actions could aid in wresting the hostages from the hands of terrorists, who know no mercy but understand self-interest and the consequences of information warfare.
As enunciated by retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Oliver North on Oct. 30 with Sean Hannity, deploy one of America’s giant hospital ships to the Mediterranean, where it can treat Palestinian women and children who need lifesaving operations and care, including the delivery of babies. One of America’s two hospital ships could reach the region within two weeks.
This vessel should be deployed off the coast of Israel and Egypt and be allowed to transit such waters unmolested. Any rocket attack by Hamas or Islamic Jihad would constitute a severe violation of international humanitarian law that is upheld by both the International Red Cross and the Muslim Red Crescent. To limit the potential of a rocket attack by Hamas against this vessel of mercy, the U.S. Navy will need to deploy an anti-missile Aegis cruiser or destroyer to maintain a defensive boundary.
As American doctors and nurses care for Palestinian women and children, we must demand the inhabitants of Gaza defy Hamas to force their hand. Profound efforts should be mounted to secure the release of hostages through international pressure and intercessions that reflect the magnitude of the crime in the light of our nation’s exertion to aid the innocent.
As an added avenue, we should work through the government of Qatar and other Arab states of the Persian Gulf to facilitate the release of Americans, Israelis, and other nationals held captive. At the same time, we should drastically increase economic pressure on Iran and reestablish U.S. energy dominance, which is defined by the ability through the production of a broad range of fuels and sources of energy, coupled with refining and distribution abilities and alliance agreements, to provide for national self-sufficiency while also meeting the supplemental energy demands of key allies, thus influencing energy markets and prices worldwide.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi must be involved in this humanitarian effort. Egypt is an irreplaceable conduit in control of staging areas that will enable the transfer of Gaza’s women and children to the hospital ship in order that these civilians receive lifesaving medical care.
This initiative should begin immediately. It will save the lives of innocent Palestinians and, God willing, the lives of many hostages. The presence of an American hospital ship will provide a conspicuous message of hope within the heart of the world, which must know peace and comity if the globe is to avert a wider war.
Israel is righteous in its conduct of this war against terror. America must support our ally through a variety of efforts, including the provision of care to ameliorate the suffering of the innocent people that military force inevitably scars.
Mercy must always be part of freedom’s message to the world. Indeed, it is a vital component of any responsive humanitarian and public diplomacy initiative in this case, which is constituted by the marshaling of truthful information and action in support of policy.
• Michael R. Pompeo served as the 17h secretary of state and as director of the CIA. Before this appointment, he represented Kansas’ 4th Congressional District from 2011 to 2017. Richard B. Levine served as deputy assistant secretary of the Navy in charge of security assistance. He served on the National Security Council staff as director, Policy Development. Mr. Levine authored the upcoming book “Pillars for Freedom”; Mr. Pompeo wrote the foreword.
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