To show solidarity with the Palestinian people who are under siege by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the Houtis of Yemen are attacking U.S. and other western ally’s ships that are within their reach. Various Iranian and ISIS militias are attacking U.S. troops stationed in Iraq, Syria and Jordan. To date over 45 ships have been attacked, and over 150 missile and drone attacks have been absorbed by our troops, with three of our soldiers killed and many more wounded. It is interesting, maybe telling, that few of these attacks have targeted Israel directly. It seems clear that the United States is regarded, not just complicit, but the primary enabler and instigator of the Gaza siege and the Palestinian dilemma. Is that what we want? Is that in our national interests?
There is widespread agreement that Hamas, behind the atrocities of October 7th, must be severely punished, dethroned and dismantled. And the sooner the better. However, the world at large, excluding Israel and the U.S., seems to believe the horrors of what is being wrought in Gaza now is a bridge too far.
Israel has been a long term ally. It deserves to live in peace and have security for its people. For me, allies are entities that have common cause with one another and support each other’s national interests. For many decades American has been Israel’s indispensable ally economically, militarily and politically. We have done this at great cost and with great risks to ourselves, at many levels. I don’t get a warm, fuzzy feeling that our long term strategic interests are being well served in the Middle East and beyond. Our urgings for a measure of restraint and consideration for the dire straits the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza face daily seem to be routinely rebuffed by the right wing Israeli government. And so we continue down a path contrary to the widely accepted international norms we ourselves help author, and to our great regret and growing peril.
I am certainly not suggesting that we abandon Israel, but we must adopt and adhere to firm, tough-love policies and actions that are in the best long term interest of the United States, of Israel and of the Palestinians. What is unfolding now is in no one’s best interest.
– – – -Just the view of a common man.
Views of a Common Man 
Good and precise opini
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It is difficult to offer any unbiased comments to Ollie’s Gaza War blogs
which have been interesting and thought-provoking. It is true, as Ollie
states, “the United States is regarded, not just complicit, but the primary
enabler and instigator of the Gaza siege and the Palestinian dilemma”.
Unfortunately, the prevailing view throughout the Middle East is that
while Israel is doing the fighting, this is an American war. Why? The
reasoning goes that without the diplomatic cover and high-tech
munitions provided by the United States, Israel wouldn’t be able to
carry out the massive operation it launched in Gaza to “eradicate
Hamas”. Political analysts in the Middle East called Washington’s
support for Israel’s war a reckless position that doesn’t account for the
long-term diplomatic, security and economic effects of alienating a
region where rivals, namely China, are carving deeper inroads.
Furthermore, the U.S. currently supplies Israel with about $3.8 billion
in security assistance annually. U.S. foreign military financing currently
covers approximately 16% of Israel’s defense budget. Since Israel’s
founding in 1948, the U.S. has provided Israel with more than $130
billion in security assistance, more than the U.S. has provided to any
country in the world.
Nevertheless we should not forget that Israel’s aerial and ground
attack on Gaza came after Hamas massacred more than 1,200 people
and abducted scores of others on October 7, 2023. Elections have not
been held in Gaza since 2007 after Hamas expelled the Palestinian
Authority from Gaza, and seized full control of the enclave. Hamas,
unlike the Palestinian Authority, does not acknowledge Israel’s right to
exist. The group, supported by Iran, has used explosives and rockets,
along with suicide bombings and kidnappings to target Israel since
gaining control of Gaza.
A perfect storm was created when the most far-right and religious
government in Israel’s history was inaugurated in late December 2022.
It was led by Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party. The coalition
government was comprised of two ultra-Orthodox parties and three
far-right parties. It prioritized the expansion and development of Israeli
settlements in the occupied West Bank, endorsed discrimination against
LGBTQ+ people on religious grounds, and voted to limit judicial
oversight of the government in May 2023.
Almost two million Gazans, more than 85 percent of the population,
have fled their homes since Israel began its military operation. 70 percent
of the of the territory’s population, or approximately 1.5 million displaced
Gazans, have nowhere to go and face increasingly dire living conditions
and security risks. Attacks on medical infrastructure and a lack of basic
supplies have reduced the number of functioning hospitals to only nine,
all of which are in the south, and the World Health Organization has
warned of disease spread in addition to mounting civilian casualties.
Of some interest South Africa filed a case with the International Court
of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of committing genocide in its
military response to the Hamas attack. The case included references
to the Israeli use of blanket bombing and the cutting of food, water and
medicine supplies to Gaza. The claim stated, “The acts are all
attributable to Israel, which has failed to prevent genocide and is
committing genocide in manifest violation of the genocide convention”.
The significance of this claim of genocide in Gaza is that it is only
the second time a state has tried to litigate the perceived atrocities
of another state. When the ICJ convened in The Hague to consider
the Israel-Gaza war, it ruled on January 26, 2024, that Israel must end
the killing of Palestinians in Gaza and enable an increase in
humanitarian aid. Since the ICJ ruling, things have gotten even worse.
As Bertrand Russell lamented, “War does not determine who is right
—only who is left”.
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Thank you Jeanette, You always add valuable context and greater depth to my posts. Keep it up. Ollie
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As usual Jeanette has added valuable context to by posts on the Gaza war
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