By Marziyeh Amirizadeh
As an Iranian American, having lived most of my life under the misogynist evil extremism of the Islamic regime, there are many things that bring me back to the traumas in the land of my birth. Waking up to the news this week of six Israeli hostages being executed by Hamas in cold blood reminds me of the period I served a death sentence in Evin prison when Islamic regime agents massacred thousands.
The solution for peace in Gaza is not negotiating with the terrorists, but to cut off the head of the octopus in Iran, and to eliminate its terrorist tentacles in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, and around the world.
In Gaza, the idea of a two-state solution is suicidal. It has failed many times. As many times as Israel has accepted this idea, Hamas and other Islamic terrorists have rejected it. After the savage Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, Israel cannot be fooled to believe what the terrorists have promised all along: that their goal is to annihilate Israel, not live peacefully with Israel.
In Middle Eastern culture, negotiating with terrorists shows weakness and emboldens them. This is the case with the Islamic Republic regime, the biggest supporter global terror. Enabling the terrorists from Tehran to Gaza will only lead to more loss of lives of innocent Israelis.
In the Oslo Accord of the 1990s Israel agreed to work toward the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. As intoxicated as people were about the hope for peace, Oslo simply gave the Palestinian Authority and Hamas land on which to base themselves, and bring their attacks on Israel closer and more deadly through decades of terror.
The Islamic Republic regime was quick to invest in radicalizing the terrorists, and arming them as well as possible. Thousands of Israelis lost their lives as sacrificial lambs on a fake altar of peace.
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results, Israel would be insane to allow a separate Palestinian terrorist state on its borders. For decades and multiple times, Israel was willing to accept the idea of establishing Palestinian state. When offered nearly everything in the 2000 Camp David Summit, rather than creating a state for his people, Yasser Arafat unleashed years of terror and bloodshed.
Arafat’s words backed up his actions, “Peace for us means the destruction of Israel. We are preparing for an all-out war, a war which will last for generations.” It comes from the Koran itself, “Kill them whenever you confront them, and drive them out from there they drove you out.” (Surah 2:191)
Simply, Islamic terrorists do not seek peace but only hate and destruction of State of Israel. These teachings and brainwashing against Israel are as common as baseball and apple pie are in America.
During his speech in Congress in July, Prime Minister Netanyahu shared his vision for Gaza that is demilitarized and deradicalized. Demilitarization of Gaza could be much easier if Israel focuses on the head of the octopus, the Islamic Republic regime, and not just the regime’s tentacles and terrorist proxies. 80 million Iranians are desperately waiting for any chance to overthrow the regime.
The fact is that even if Israel physically eliminates all terrorists in Gaza, still peace with Palestinians will fail since they have been brainwashed with genocidal radical Islamic ideology against Israelis and Jews. Without deradicalization, new leaders will emerge and continue radicalize more Gazans.
That’s why actual peace with Palestinians is only possible when the Islamic Republic regime is defeated (demilitarization), and the hearts and minds of Palestinians against Israelis are changed through deradicalization. Deradicalization will happen only through a message of love and salvation that challenges their ideology of hate and destruction. Palestinians need to experience the love of Christians who genuinely and unconditionally wish for their well-being and prosperity.
Deradicalization, changing the hearts and minds of Palestinians, will take a generation. It means uprooting the Islamic ideology and its lies that they have been brainwashed with from birth, and which has failed them for decades. In order to change their hearts, in order for a true Solution for Peace in Gaza, an investment of love needs to be made to counteract their hate.
Palestinians need to understand their true enemy is not Israel but Hamas, the Islamic Republic regime, and the extremist ideologies they represent. They need to understand that these are the root of their problems, suffering. They can only do this when they see the opposite, a truth rooted in love.
Through exposure to Christians who embrace love, freedom, and forgiveness, Palestinians need to understand that the Islam that hijacked their lives is all about submission, brute force, and punishment. Radical Islam creates a culture of fear, not to disobey Islamic rules. Conversely in Christianity you follow Jesus with your own will. Islam is about unrestrained hate, but Christianity is about unconditional love.
The Solution for Peace in Gaza calls for hundreds of thousands of Christians to make a personal investment to rebuild and rehabilitate Gaza entirely. By showing the love of Jesus we can combat a dangerous and self-destructive ideology they have embraced, and truly achieve peace. Rather than forcing Israel into a situation of creating another terrorist state on its narrow borders, for actual peace and long-term prosperity, of Palestinian Arabs in Gaza and Israelis alike, the Solution for Peace in Gaza is the only answer.
Christians’ who revere the God of Israel, must commit to get involved in the future of rebuilding Gaza alongside Israel. World leaders who say they want Palestinians in Gaza to live in peace must adopt this Solution for Peace in Gaza as the only one that can work.
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Marziyeh Amirizadeh is an Iranian American who immigrated to the US after being sentenced to death in Iran for the crime of converting to Christianity. She endured months of mental and physical hardships and intense interrogation. She is author of two books (the latest, A Love Journey with God), public speaker, and activist for religious freedom. She has shared her inspiring story throughout the United States and around the world, to bring awareness about the ongoing human rights violations and persecution of women and religious minorities in Iran. She can be reached at www.MarzisJourney.com.
