Your analysis is not entirely wrong, but it is an oversimplification which is understandable when you are thousands of miles away from what is taking place. The real question here is that Hamas knew what Israel's reaction would be to the mindless and savage carnage that it unleashed. In short, Hamas wanted Israel to bomb and attack Gaza and to achieve that it was willing to shoot women, children and babies that had nothing to do with anything. There can be no justification for that. You are correct that collective punishment of an innocent population for an act committed by an insurgent group runs against international law, but Hamas' military wing could care less about that. If Israel reacts to Hamas with rage, it is both understandable and what Hamas wanted all along. It is also self-defeating, which is what Joe Biden tried to convey in cautioning Israel not to make the mistakes that George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld made after 9/11. CIA black spots, Guantanamo Bay and torture did nothing to eliminate the root cause that resulted in 9/11. It hurt the United States more than anyone else. The answer to this conundrum is what Paul told the Romans: Leave vengeance to God, and get on with your lives.
In fact, Biden dispatched US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to the region immediately after Hamas' October 7 onslaught. Biden's trip to Israel was the last piece in a diplomatic attempt to keep the region from exploding, which would have happened if the Israelis responded with an immediate armed assault on Gaza. The assault has still not taken place, thanks in large part to US diplomacy. Larger issues are at stake than Israel and Gaza. Iran and Saudi Arabia have been maneuvering to see who will be the major power in the region. Turkey, with a massive army, is also a player. The US aircraft carrier battle groups in the Eastern Mediterranean staked out the US presence in the area. One can have questions about Netanyahu's policies toward the Palestinians, and many Israelis do have serious questions about Netanyahu. We have our own problems with some political groups in Congress. That is democracy. But US interests in the region go further than Israel although Israel remains a critically important ally in the region. Much of the energy that the world depends on comes from the region and if the area is disrupted the global economy as well as you and me will be likely to feel the fallout. The rhetoric you refer to is for the public. The diplomacy that takes place behind the scenes is a different matter. In this crisis, Biden has reacted as a true statesman and a professional mediator, a rare occurrence in recent American history. As far as ethnic cleansing, that seems to have been Hamas intention in mindlessly shooting as many civilians, elderly people, babies, women and children as it could. Hamas knew exactly how Israel would respond. That was their intention. You may see them as freedom fighters, but that is a hard argument to make convincingly. They are much closer to your run-of-the-mill, bomb-throwing nihilists. Their approach has been tried repeatedly in history. It has never worked.
I think that most Middle East experts would agree with you that the Palestinian Authority is too weak to play much of a role now. Part of the weakening of the Palestinian Authority is due to the approach taken by Netanyahu, which sought to build up Hamas in the hopes that separate Palestinian organizations would destroy each other, the old divide and conquer approach. The problem was that population growth combined with limited available land turned Palestine's occupied territories into a pressure cooker that was bound to explode sooner or later. Israel has said that it does not want to go back to administering Gaza. The solution may be to rebuild the Palestinian Authority in such a way that it has credibility among Palestinians but can also serve as a legitimate partner in negotiations over finding a compromise that both groups will accept.
I don't disagree but the PA are so corrupt and thoroughly discredited, both locally and internationally, they need root-and-branch reform before anyone would begin to take them seriously
Finding peace and stability would be great for both sides and there are certainly people on both sides that want that. What history has shown is it won’t be an easy task.
I think I missed the part where the Palestinians declared they no longer want to “drive the Jews into the sea.” Where they say they won’t side with whichever Arab country attacks Israel as they’ve done since 1948. You want the Palestinians to get out of the squalor that even other Arab countries keep them in, maybe they should end that long hold goal.
We're here to try and fairly investigate all positions and claims, not cater to a side or bias. The fact is, both sides have elements that seek to essentially eliminate or marginalize the other group. Both sides also have those who would like to find peace and stability.
Your analysis is not entirely wrong, but it is an oversimplification which is understandable when you are thousands of miles away from what is taking place. The real question here is that Hamas knew what Israel's reaction would be to the mindless and savage carnage that it unleashed. In short, Hamas wanted Israel to bomb and attack Gaza and to achieve that it was willing to shoot women, children and babies that had nothing to do with anything. There can be no justification for that. You are correct that collective punishment of an innocent population for an act committed by an insurgent group runs against international law, but Hamas' military wing could care less about that. If Israel reacts to Hamas with rage, it is both understandable and what Hamas wanted all along. It is also self-defeating, which is what Joe Biden tried to convey in cautioning Israel not to make the mistakes that George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld made after 9/11. CIA black spots, Guantanamo Bay and torture did nothing to eliminate the root cause that resulted in 9/11. It hurt the United States more than anyone else. The answer to this conundrum is what Paul told the Romans: Leave vengeance to God, and get on with your lives.
In fact, Biden dispatched US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to the region immediately after Hamas' October 7 onslaught. Biden's trip to Israel was the last piece in a diplomatic attempt to keep the region from exploding, which would have happened if the Israelis responded with an immediate armed assault on Gaza. The assault has still not taken place, thanks in large part to US diplomacy. Larger issues are at stake than Israel and Gaza. Iran and Saudi Arabia have been maneuvering to see who will be the major power in the region. Turkey, with a massive army, is also a player. The US aircraft carrier battle groups in the Eastern Mediterranean staked out the US presence in the area. One can have questions about Netanyahu's policies toward the Palestinians, and many Israelis do have serious questions about Netanyahu. We have our own problems with some political groups in Congress. That is democracy. But US interests in the region go further than Israel although Israel remains a critically important ally in the region. Much of the energy that the world depends on comes from the region and if the area is disrupted the global economy as well as you and me will be likely to feel the fallout. The rhetoric you refer to is for the public. The diplomacy that takes place behind the scenes is a different matter. In this crisis, Biden has reacted as a true statesman and a professional mediator, a rare occurrence in recent American history. As far as ethnic cleansing, that seems to have been Hamas intention in mindlessly shooting as many civilians, elderly people, babies, women and children as it could. Hamas knew exactly how Israel would respond. That was their intention. You may see them as freedom fighters, but that is a hard argument to make convincingly. They are much closer to your run-of-the-mill, bomb-throwing nihilists. Their approach has been tried repeatedly in history. It has never worked.
I think that most Middle East experts would agree with you that the Palestinian Authority is too weak to play much of a role now. Part of the weakening of the Palestinian Authority is due to the approach taken by Netanyahu, which sought to build up Hamas in the hopes that separate Palestinian organizations would destroy each other, the old divide and conquer approach. The problem was that population growth combined with limited available land turned Palestine's occupied territories into a pressure cooker that was bound to explode sooner or later. Israel has said that it does not want to go back to administering Gaza. The solution may be to rebuild the Palestinian Authority in such a way that it has credibility among Palestinians but can also serve as a legitimate partner in negotiations over finding a compromise that both groups will accept.
Just from your clueless headline: you have got to be kidding.
I don't disagree but the PA are so corrupt and thoroughly discredited, both locally and internationally, they need root-and-branch reform before anyone would begin to take them seriously
Finding peace and stability would be great for both sides and there are certainly people on both sides that want that. What history has shown is it won’t be an easy task.
I think I missed the part where the Palestinians declared they no longer want to “drive the Jews into the sea.” Where they say they won’t side with whichever Arab country attacks Israel as they’ve done since 1948. You want the Palestinians to get out of the squalor that even other Arab countries keep them in, maybe they should end that long hold goal.
We're here to try and fairly investigate all positions and claims, not cater to a side or bias. The fact is, both sides have elements that seek to essentially eliminate or marginalize the other group. Both sides also have those who would like to find peace and stability.
Good essay. As a new framework worth promoting.