It’s been 17 days since Hamas launched its horrific attack against Israel, killing over 1,400 Israeli citizens, including defenseless women, children and the elderly. In the aftermath of such unspeakable brutality, the U.S. government and the American people have shared in the grief of families, prayed for the return of loved ones, and rightly declared solidarity with the Israeli people.
As I stated in an earlier post, Israel has a right
to defend its citizens against such wanton violence,
and I fully support President Biden’s call for the
United States to support our long-time ally in going
after Hamas, dismantling its military capabilities,
and facilitating the safe return of hundreds of
hostages to their families.
But even as we support Israel, we should also be
clear that how Israel prosecutes this fight against
Hamas matters. In particular, it matters — as
President Biden has repeatedly emphasized — that
Israel’s military strategy abides by international
law, including those laws that seek to avoid, to
every extent possible, the death or suffering of
civilian populations. Upholding these values is
important for its own sake — because it is morally
just and reflects our belief in the inherent value
of every human life. Upholding these values is also
vital for building alliances and shaping
international opinion — all of which are critical
for Israel’s long-term security.
This is an enormously difficult task. War is always
tragic, and even the most carefully planned military
operations often put civilians at risk. As President
Biden noted during his recent visit to Israel,
America itself has at times fallen short of our
higher values when engaged in war, and in the
aftermath of 9/11, the U.S. government wasn’t
interested in heeding the advice of even our allies
when it came to the steps we took to protect
ourselves against Al Qaeda. Now, after the
systematic massacre of Israeli citizens, a massacre
that evokes some of the darkest memories of
persecution against the Jewish people, it’s
understandable that many Israelis have demanded that
their government do whatever it takes to root out
Hamas and make sure such attacks never happen again.
Moreover, Hamas’ military operations are deeply
embedded within Gaza — and its leadership seems to
intentionally hide among civilians, thereby
endangering the very people they claim to represent.
Still, the world is watching closely as events in
the region unfold, and any Israeli military strategy
that ignores the human costs could ultimately
backfire. Already, thousands of Palestinians have
been killed in the bombing of Gaza, many of them
children. Hundreds of thousands have been forced
from their homes. The Israeli government’s decision
to cut off food, water and electricity to a captive
civilian population threatens not only to worsen a
growing humanitarian crisis; it could further harden
Palestinian attitudes for generations, erode global
support for Israel, play into the hands of Israel’s
enemies, and undermine long term efforts to achieve
peace and stability in the region.
It’s therefore important that those of us supporting
Israel in its time of need encourage a strategy that
can incapacitate Hamas while minimizing further
civilian casualties. Israel’s recent shift to allow
relief trucks into Gaza, prompted in part by the
Biden administration’s behind-the-scenes diplomacy,
is an encouraging step, but we need to continue to
lead the international community in accelerating
critical aid and supplies to an increasingly
desperate Gaza population. And while the prospects
of future peace may seem more distant than ever, we
should call on all of the key actors in the region
to engage with those Palestinian leaders and
organizations that recognize Israel’s right to exist
to begin articulating a viable pathway for
Palestinians to achieve their legitimate aspirations
for self-determination — because that is the best
and perhaps only way to achieve the lasting peace
and security most Israeli and Palestinian families
yearn for.
Finally, in dealing with what is an extraordinarily
complex situation where so many people are in pain
and passions are understandably running high, all of
us need to do our best to put our best values,
rather than our worst fears, on display.
That means actively opposing anti-semitism in all
its forms, everywhere. It means rejecting efforts to
minimize the terrible tragedy that the Israeli
people have just endured, as well as the
morally-bankrupt suggestion that any cause can
somehow justify the deliberate slaughter of innocent
people.
It means rejecting anti-Muslim, anti-Arab or
anti-Palestinian sentiment. It means refusing to
lump all Palestinians with Hamas or other terrorist
groups. It means guarding against dehumanizing
language towards the people of Gaza, or downplaying
Palestinian suffering — whether in Gaza or the West
Bank — as irrelevant or illegitimate.
It means recognizing that Israel has every right to
exist; that the Jewish people have claim to a secure
homeland where they have ancient historical roots;
and that there have been instances in which previous
Israeli governments made meaningful efforts to
resolve the dispute and provide a path for a
two-state solution — efforts that were ultimately
rebuffed by the other side.
It means acknowledging that Palestinians have also lived in disputed territories for generations; that many of them were not only displaced when Israel was formed but continue to be forcibly displaced by a settler movement that too often has received tacit or explicit support from the Israeli government; that Palestinian leaders who’ve been willing to make concessions for a two-state solution have too often had little to show for their efforts; and that it is possible for people of good will to champion Palestinian rights and oppose certain Israeli government policies in the West Bank and Gaza without being anti-semitic.
Perhaps most of all, it means we should choose not to always assume the worst in those with whom we disagree. In an age of constant rancor, trolling and misinformation on social media, at a time when so many politicians and attention seekers see an advantage in shedding heat rather than light, it may be unrealistic to expect respectful dialogue on any issue — much less on an issue with such high stakes and after so much blood has been spilled. But if we care about keeping open the possibility of peace, security and dignity for future generations of Israeli and Palestinian children — as well as for our own children — then it falls upon all of us to at least make the effort to model, in our own words and actions, the kind of world we want them to inherit.
Here are links to some useful perspectives and background on the conflict:
●Israel Is About to Make a Terrible Mistake by Thomas L. Friedman
● ‘I Love You. I Am Sorry’: One Jew, One Muslim and a Friendship Tested by War by Kurt Streeter
● A Timeline of Israel and Palestine’s Complicated History by Nicole Narea
● Gaza: The Cost of Escalation by Ben Rhodes