In search of a silent night, holy night

For the first time in living memory, Bethlehem will not celebrate Christmas. Devasted by the toll of Israel's pounding of Gaza some 70 km away, Christ's birthtown in the West Bank will not have a single Christmas tree, let alone festivities. On last count, the Hamas-Israel conflict has killed more than 20,000 Palestinians and injured 50,000-plus people. As an apostle of peace, Christ, the 'king of the Jews' would have been mortified.

On Friday, Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that the fighting wouldn't stop unless Hamas was 'completely destroyed' and hostages were safely released. Despite such hard talk, Israel is no closer to achieving its goal of eliminating Hamas. Surveys by the non-partisan research network Arab Barometer show that in the month before the October 7 Hamas attacks, 67% of Palestinians in Gaza had little or no trust in the extremist group. If Israel continues its military operations, though, Hamas will not find it difficult to find support and recruit more people. Of all people, Elon Musk's suggestion that Israel thwart such an outcome with 'conspicuous acts of kindness' makes strategic, not to mention, 'Christian' sense.

If Netanyahu is serious about eliminating Hamas, a far better option would be to initiate talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) to craft a political solution, a pathway that honours the two-state solution, respect the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people, and ensure the safety and security of Israel. Ironically, it is Netanyahu's steadfast refusal to accept the two-state solution, and his efforts to delegitimise PA that led the Israeli government to turn a blind eye to Hamas for the last 15 years, allowing it to strengthen. The current military option is time- and resource-consuming. However, any talk between the two groups would require accommodation and compromise by both sides - values that Christmas, of all days, extols.