Commentary:
Hamas’s slaughter of 2,000 Israeli civilians is appalling, indefensible, and likely counterproductive.
I sympathize with the victims – and with the Palestinians suffering the Israeli retaliation. Palestinians lost their homes when stronger forces gave Israel half their land. Since then, Israel, and would-be Palestinian freedom-fighters have used and abused the Palestinian people.
Any sane person must sympathize with the Jews as things stood in 1945; The Jews needed a homeland; but Palestine wasn’t empty. Yet I have beloved friends whose lives would be what, without Israel?
Could partition have worked? What if both sides hadn’t been so fervent about their respective superstitious spiritual systems, and so intolerant? Some Zionists sought a socialist nation in which anyone could live free. Not Netanyahu.
Criticizing Israel isn’t necessarily anti-Semitic. Many Jews don’t approve Israel’s actions. Much of Israel’s conduct can be justified by security concerns. Much probably cannot, including letting folks “settle” in areas Israel doesn’t own, then allowing settlers to do as they like, and backing them militarily, further eliminating Palestinian homes.
Internally, Netanyahu’s return to leadership, despite corruption, has been disastrous. Cementing the “settlement” process helped provoke Hamas’s attack. His war on the Israeli Supreme Court was so repugnant that citizens and army officers protested in unprecedented numbers. Some say the internal conflict over Netanyahu’s dictatorial conduct helped undermine Israel’s ability to foresee and blunt the Hamas attack.
Hamas has no mandate from the Palestinians: since 2007, Hamas has ruled without elections, and apparently with little concern for the welfare of the average Palestinians who will suffer for its madness. Hamas knew its spree of violence would make Gazans’ bleak lives more miserable. Israel says “Leave!” – but they can’t.
A Republican recently noted how much Donald Trump and Joe Biden need each other. He thinks Trump’s criminal trials will eliminate Trump in 2024, bringing down both Trump and Biden. Politically, voters’ dislike/distrust for each has kept the other from sinking further. A new Republican face might force the Democrats to urge Biden to retire.
Do Netanyahu and Hamas need each other? Threats from Hamas and Hezbollah generate enough fear for Israelis to let Netanyahu into office; and Israel’s heavy hand grants Hamas some respectability among its subjects. Meanwhile, what was Palestine in 1946, with some small areas of mainly Jewish settlement, shrank to less and half its size in 1947, shrank further in 1967, and has since diminished to almost nothing.
Interestingly, Netanyahu apparently has approved extensive funding of Hamas by Qatar, as a counterweight to the Palestinian Authority. I’m no expert, but that doesn’t currently look like a great move for Israel. It may be good for Netanyahu.
I think our government too often lets Israel lead it around by the nose. I loathe Netanyahu’s extremism, and don’t excuse Israel’s apparent excesses; but the Hamas attack is appalling, in size and style.
One other odd thought: I think often of the 1890s Ghost Shirt Dances, magic-based effort at rebellion by some tribes against the U.S., long after the U.S. had vanquished the tribes. It had no chance – but folks got convinced that if they did the dances and wore the ghost shirts, bullets couldn’t kill them.
I wonder if Hamas’s vile attack, obviously motivated by anger that Israel and Saudi Arabia are finding a rapprochement that’s more important to the Saudis than the Palestinians are, is all the more violent because Hamas is closer to oblivion than we realize.
Peter Goodman's opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of KRWG Public Media or NMSU.