The State of Israel intends to destroy Hamas once and for all after their horrific October 7th attack. But what comes after? Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) discussed Israel's post-war goals in a recent appearance on Fox News' The Story with Martha MacCallum, saying the Jewish State will have difficulty in conquering Hamas as long as Iran can fund them and the challenge of demilitarizing and deradicalizing Palestine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently stated there are three conditions for peace necessary for the war to end: Destruction of Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza, and deradicalizing the Palestinians—however, Rep. Waltz suggested "a lot of questions on whether Israel is going to occupy [Gaza] or some international force is going to occupy, like how that is going to happen."
Additionally, he said Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will likely contribute towards the deradicalization process.
Nevertheless, Rep. Waltz warned, "Israel is just going to be mowing the grass in Gaza, it is going to grow back [and] terrorism is going to come back as Iran is flush with cash," reiterating the point that Iran sponsors Hamas and will continue to do so until the Biden Administration will "do a one-eighty and reverse course on its Iran policy, go back to maximum pressure and dry up their coffers that are fueling terrorism across the region," something the Florida Congressman has been calling for before the October 7th attack.
Substitute host Bret Baier pointed out that deradicalizing a population is difficult, especially one you were fighting.
Waltz agreed, saying, "It is going to take the international Arab and Islamic community to step in," saying Jordan, the Gulf States, and Egypt "are willing to take a greater role, and that is going to be absolutely critical."
Moreover, as the United States enters an election year, Waltz speculated, "What kind of staying power does President Biden and his administration have with Israel?"
