The 10+ months since Oct 7th has unveiled a nasty surprise for Israel and the U.S.
Hamas which presides over a hapless Palestinian population of around 2 million people, in an enclave of 140 square miles, has shocked us all with its show of military planning, power and tenacity. How a junta, subject to the rigid controls imposed by Israel for decades, could amass such firepower and sustain the overwhelming barrage conducted by the IDF for the last ten months is an ominous development. The mighty, once-considered-invincible, Israel military has been humiliated and its relentless bombardment of the Gazans seems more like wild revenge than a coherent national strategy. And to the north Hezbollah, substantially more powerful than Hamas, has showcased its support for Hamas by unleashing only a token of its military capability.
It should be clear to us by now that time is not on our side. Things seem likely to get more messy and even more deadly, and with the continuing oppressive Israeli policies and ever expansion of settlements, the outlook for a reasonable resolution is receding at a rapid pace. So what are a people likely to do when faced with the terrible choice of living under ongoing duress and unending hopelessness or finding a way, any way, to resist? After 57 years, they are unlikely to quietly accept the unacceptable status quo. Would we? What would Americans do when faced with this dilemma? The continual erosion of Palestinian rights and ever more loss of Palestinian land does not do bode well for any kind of a fair resolution. Israel and the U.S., its ask-no-questions partner and100% enabler, are pretty much alone in the international arena with very few allies aligned with us on the protective economic, military and political curtain we put around Israel.
Of course we will continue to have Israel’s back. We cannot not allow Israel to be overrun. The Israeli people deserve peace and security. But the Likud Party in power and its ultra orthodox partners are more interested in territorial expansion than national security. They are reaping the whirlwind, and we, the bastion of human rights, equality and international law & order are sacrificing our national interests, our international prestige, and our rigid standing for right over wrong when we dismiss Israeli aggressive actions with the narrative that “Israel has the right to defend itself” – – even when the threat to them is clearly of their own making. Of course, every threatened life form has the right to defend itself. Do the oppressed Palestinians not also have that right? Regretfully, the Likud’s persistent and misconceived policies are creating the conditions that leave the people no other choice than to fight. That is a terrible predicament and must be rectified before there can be any hope for peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis. What should be pretty obvious by now is this: Israel’s oppressive rule over the Palestinians is not in Israel’s long term interest, not in our national interest and clearly not in Palestinian interest.
We would do Israel a real service if we showed some tough love.
– – – – Just the view of a common man
Views of a Common Man 
In 1969 Golda Mier very famously said: “We Jews have a secret weapon in our struggle with the Arabs – we have no place to go.”
Ollie’s most recent blog on “The Future of Israel and the U.S. in the Middle East” deserves thoughtful responses and reflective viewpoints that are based on facts. He refers to the U.S as the Israelis’ “ask-no-questions partner”. He is correct, and that is a deadly killer of relationships.
The U.S. government has strongly supported Israel’s right to defend itself, sending warships and high-ranking officials to the region, but concerns are mounting about the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. U.S. support for Israel is not new, but it has grown increasingly controversial.
The United States annually provides $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and $500 million for cooperative programs for missile defense. During the 2020 campaign, pro-Israel groups donated $30.95 million to both political parties, 64% to Democrats and 36% to Republicans.
Although Hamas justified its October 7th attack as a response to what it called Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people, Iran is also covertly involved. In the weeks leading up to the attack, some 500 fighters from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad received training in Iran, under the guidance of the IRGC Quds Force.
When Hamas became the sole ruler of Gaza after violently ejecting political rivals in 2007, Iran and Hamas became dramatically closer in their mutual hatred of the United States. The U.S. tensions with Iran have escalated repeatedly since the Islamic Revolution.
Israeli officials knew before the war on October 7, 2023, that Hamas had an extensive tunnel network. After the Israeli forces seized the 2019 Hamas handbook during the current war, it confirmed that Hamas’ effort for years to build an underground military operation was more sophisticated and extensive than the Israelis realized. Many of the tunnels are purposely beneath densely occupied areas.
The handbook described in meticulous detail an operation that could withstand prolonged attacks, slow down Israeli ground forces inside the darkened tunnels, and fire automatic weapons in confined spaces for maximum lethality. As a result, Israel’s military leadership has made the tunnels its main target. But the campaign has come at a steep cost for Palestinian civilians.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) worked with Hamas to plan its October 7, 2023 surprise attack on southern Israel. Former president Trump designated the IRGC a “foreign terrorist organization (FTO)”.
We should be concerned with Iran’s participation in attempting to thwart the efforts of the U.S. to settle disputes in the Middle East. It is important to remember that Iran has supplied Hezbollah in Lebanon with more than one hundred thousand rockets that can hit across Israeli territory. A war would be devastating for both Israel and Lebanon. Nevertheless, Israeli officials argue that after the events of October 7, they can no longer tolerate Hezbollah forces at their border.
Hamas, whose name stands for Islamic Resistance Movement, wants to create an Islamic state in place of Israel. Hamas rejects Israel’s right to exist and is committed to its destruction.
Netanyahu has promised the Israeli public victory against Hamas. Analysts say that his political career hinges on continuing the war in Gaza. Omar Rahman, an expert on Israel-Palestine with the Middle East Council for Global Affairs, told Al Jazeera, “The goal is to destroy Gaza in its totality.”
Benjamin Franklin said, “There never was a good war, or a bad peace”. It is said that the worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.
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Thanks Jeanette. Very cogent comments. Sent from my iPad
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