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First things first: IDF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner sends a serious wakeup call to CNN Newsroom host Jim Acosta, reminding him that there is no secret solution that will force Hamas into submission. Acosta should know better than to believe there’s an easy way out of this kind of conflict.

Acosta, known for his relentless pursuit of truth during the Trump years, now seems to believe that popularity equals correctness. He pressured Lerner with worldwide condemnation of the civilian cost, saying “there’s tremendous condemnation that is coming in from all corners across the world that the cost to the civilian population in Gaza is too high.”

Acosta wouldn’t let up, prodding further, suggesting that there’s a limit to what can be done. Lerner, countering the sympathies, pointed out the tragic reality: “The price of the civilians, Israelis and Palestinians, are paying for this war are both horrific and tragic. There is no magic prescription to wish Hamas away.”

Lerner explained that, unfortunately, the only way to change the security reality requires military action. Hamas wouldn’t roll over easily, there’s no white flag waving.

But Acosta interrupted, insisting that civilians and various groups plead for an end to these tactics due to the increasing casualty. Lerner stood his ground: “So, are you suggesting—are you suggesting Israel surrenders to Hamas?”

Undeterred by Lerner’s poignant retort, Acosta carried on: “You’re hearing from around the world that suffering is at a point that, that has just become too much.”

Lerner reiterated: “The suffering on both sides is terrible…but unfortunately, our enemies that are bent on our destruction have no intention on living side-by-side in peace with Israel so what should we do? Surrender to Hamas and hope they don’t do it again when they promised that they will do it again and again and again given the chance?”

Acosta, and those he cited, offer no solution but a lecture on military matters. They ask for an end to the suffering and then push for policies that would drag out the conflict — contradicting their own pleas.

All said and done, Lerner kept his patience with Acosta’s questioning, reminding him and everyone tuning in that there’s no easy answer to the enduring conflict. Trying to wish away the problems won’t make them disappear, just as trying to pander to public sentiment won’t produce a viable solution. So next time Acosta feels the urge to push popular tropes and oversimplified narratives, maybe he should remember Lerner’s reality check: there’s no magic wand in war, no matter how much we wish there was.

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