This column from 2014 provides some background for the horrors inflicted by Hamas on Israel this past weekend. I said regarding the tunnels that Israel “should not have to wait for its citizens to be killed to rid itself of this horrific threat”, and that applies as well to Hamas itself. The wanton slaughter of teenagers attending a “concert for peace” speaks for itself, not to mention the stripping and parading and spitting on captives and corpses and the depraved celebration of death. I would like to say that the utter barbarism of the terrorist group’s latest actions has exposed it for what it is, but its nature has been sadly clear for years. It’s time for Israel to deal with the issue definitively.