Wonderful piece. We’ll know that the conversation on Palestine is entering a more equitable phase when there’s as much concern for Palestinians’ right to live in peace and security as much as we do about it Israelis.
Thank you, as always, for your clarity and commitment to the truth. I hope many people read this, including the president and senior members of the administration.
To say that you nailed it with EVERY SINGLE WORD AND PHRASE is an understatement.
But in zooming out historically, American presidents by and large (and the rest of the west) have stood by, financed and tolerated the increasingly worsening political situation in Israel, the illegal settlements and growing anarchy perpetrated by the settlers in the West Bank is the case in point. The US should have put its proverbial foot down a Very very very long time ago. Decades ago.
I have “hated” Netanyahu for many years, I always saw him exactly for who he was, and I have lived experience in Israel’s slide farther and farther to the right. I couldn’t have been the only one to see it. Yet, the US continued along the path of unconditional support. To put it now all on Biden’s plate is a bit unfair.
Lastly, look at that Fauda - style rescue mission from last week, when 4 of the (non military) hostages were rescued by Yamam and IDF: an action so absurd in its risk taking and so over the top crazy that even the Netflix series would not have dared invent it, let alone kill almost 300 Palestinians in the process (there were many Hamas members among them, but most were civilians)
But Netanyahu absolutely approved it and the IDF chief of staff lapped it up because both needed the ego boost desperately. They were willing to risk sacrificing everyone involved, if it meant that they had a sliver of a chance to look personally like heroes. Netanyahu, who has NEVER called or visited any of the hostage families or the bereaved, hostage or soldiers, couldn’t get fast enough to the hospital for the photo ops with the rescued hostages. Despicable. And the Chief of Staff got the desperately needed shot in the arm for his exhausted, demoralized troops, the majority reservists whose lives are on hold because of a war with no goals and no vision. But that’s Israel’s government today.
What I'm missing here is an acknowledgment that neither Hamas nor Netanyahu came out of nowhere. And Iran's power in the region has a lot to do with the U.S.'s uncritical support of Israel for so many decades, and probably even more to do with the U.S.'s #%&@ invasion of Iraq. (Saddam Hussein was despicable, but a reasonably cohesive Iraq did serve as a buffer against Iran.)
I could go on, but I'll spare you. <g> I will encourage you and your readers to check out two organizations based in Israel-Palestine. One is Combatants for Peace, formed in 2006 by veterans from both sides of the conflict: https://cfpeace.org/. The other is the Parents Circle–Families Forum, started in 1998 by those who'd lost family members to the conflict: https://www.theparentscircle.org/en/about_eng-2/. (Both groups have U.S. affiliates; they aren't hard to find online.) And finally, if your to-read pile hasn't already reached the ceiling, I recommend Colum McCann's astonishing 2020 novel APEIROGON, which braids together the stories of two members of the Parents Circle, one Israeli, one Palestinian, and so much more. (An apeirogon is a polygon with an infinite number of sides. I can't imagine this novel being titled anything else.)
All undoubtedly true, and eloquently stated. But based on an admittedly casual follow of news reports on Israeli public opinion, it would appear that the way Netanyahu is waging war in Gaza and on its residents is not as unpopular as are he and his government in other respects. Bringing Israel‘s citizens to terms with a 2-state solution is a big ask for an administration that, at the beginning of October 2023, claimed that the Middle East “is quieter than it has been for decades” and that “we’ve de-escalated crises in Gaza.” From your lips to God’s ears.
David writes, "Israel has a right to exist and its people have every right to defend themselves."
Definitely true, but...
Everybody wants to make the moral case in regards to this conflict. And/or they want to analyze the tactical and political details, often in great depth.
What such a focus misses is the bottom line issue at the heart of this conflict. With the best of Intentions, Israel's founders made a fundamental TACTICAL error in where they chose to establish the Jewish state. They went looking for peace and security for the Jewish people, right in the middle of a region of the world dominated by psychopathic despots.
And what 75 years of evidence shows is that by making that decision they unintentionally condemned generations of Israeli Jews to never ending conflict. Never. Ending. Conflict. And not the peace and security the Jewish people deserve.
What's been happening ever since the founding of Israel is that the hyper-capable Israeli people have been doubling down on the original tactical mistake. But as capable as they are, they are never going to conquer the entire Arab and Persian world. And that is what would be necessary to ensure Israel's security once and for all.
The details of this conflict are hyper complex, but the bottom line is not. Israelis face a choice between a particular peace of land in one of the worst neighborhoods in the world, and peace and security for their children, grandchildren, and all following descendants.
It's their choice to make. All we can do from the outside is not say or do anything that encourages them to think they can have their cake and eat it too, because that just isn't possible.
I live in a big university town in America. I've been here 50 years. There are lots of Jews here. No rockets are falling on them.
Wonderful piece. We’ll know that the conversation on Palestine is entering a more equitable phase when there’s as much concern for Palestinians’ right to live in peace and security as much as we do about it Israelis.
Exactly right. Thank you.
Thanks. I appreciate the heads up. Fixed.
Thank you, as always, for your clarity and commitment to the truth. I hope many people read this, including the president and senior members of the administration.
Thank you very much. (I hope so too.)
This essay recognizing the humanity of all people (especially the Palestinians and Israelis in this case) is what we need more of. Thank you for this.
Thank you very much!
To say that you nailed it with EVERY SINGLE WORD AND PHRASE is an understatement.
But in zooming out historically, American presidents by and large (and the rest of the west) have stood by, financed and tolerated the increasingly worsening political situation in Israel, the illegal settlements and growing anarchy perpetrated by the settlers in the West Bank is the case in point. The US should have put its proverbial foot down a Very very very long time ago. Decades ago.
I have “hated” Netanyahu for many years, I always saw him exactly for who he was, and I have lived experience in Israel’s slide farther and farther to the right. I couldn’t have been the only one to see it. Yet, the US continued along the path of unconditional support. To put it now all on Biden’s plate is a bit unfair.
Lastly, look at that Fauda - style rescue mission from last week, when 4 of the (non military) hostages were rescued by Yamam and IDF: an action so absurd in its risk taking and so over the top crazy that even the Netflix series would not have dared invent it, let alone kill almost 300 Palestinians in the process (there were many Hamas members among them, but most were civilians)
But Netanyahu absolutely approved it and the IDF chief of staff lapped it up because both needed the ego boost desperately. They were willing to risk sacrificing everyone involved, if it meant that they had a sliver of a chance to look personally like heroes. Netanyahu, who has NEVER called or visited any of the hostage families or the bereaved, hostage or soldiers, couldn’t get fast enough to the hospital for the photo ops with the rescued hostages. Despicable. And the Chief of Staff got the desperately needed shot in the arm for his exhausted, demoralized troops, the majority reservists whose lives are on hold because of a war with no goals and no vision. But that’s Israel’s government today.
Thank you...and I agree with your assessment. You're right about Bibi and about that raid. I appreciate your on-going support.
What I'm missing here is an acknowledgment that neither Hamas nor Netanyahu came out of nowhere. And Iran's power in the region has a lot to do with the U.S.'s uncritical support of Israel for so many decades, and probably even more to do with the U.S.'s #%&@ invasion of Iraq. (Saddam Hussein was despicable, but a reasonably cohesive Iraq did serve as a buffer against Iran.)
I could go on, but I'll spare you. <g> I will encourage you and your readers to check out two organizations based in Israel-Palestine. One is Combatants for Peace, formed in 2006 by veterans from both sides of the conflict: https://cfpeace.org/. The other is the Parents Circle–Families Forum, started in 1998 by those who'd lost family members to the conflict: https://www.theparentscircle.org/en/about_eng-2/. (Both groups have U.S. affiliates; they aren't hard to find online.) And finally, if your to-read pile hasn't already reached the ceiling, I recommend Colum McCann's astonishing 2020 novel APEIROGON, which braids together the stories of two members of the Parents Circle, one Israeli, one Palestinian, and so much more. (An apeirogon is a polygon with an infinite number of sides. I can't imagine this novel being titled anything else.)
All undoubtedly true, and eloquently stated. But based on an admittedly casual follow of news reports on Israeli public opinion, it would appear that the way Netanyahu is waging war in Gaza and on its residents is not as unpopular as are he and his government in other respects. Bringing Israel‘s citizens to terms with a 2-state solution is a big ask for an administration that, at the beginning of October 2023, claimed that the Middle East “is quieter than it has been for decades” and that “we’ve de-escalated crises in Gaza.” From your lips to God’s ears.
Thanks for writing this.
Thank you.
Thank you for writing this David. Hope it reaches White House ears.
A minor typo: you refer to Blinken as CIA director above.
Excellent article and commentary. Difficult for sure but essentially the only way to lasting peace.
Thank you.
David writes, "Israel has a right to exist and its people have every right to defend themselves."
Definitely true, but...
Everybody wants to make the moral case in regards to this conflict. And/or they want to analyze the tactical and political details, often in great depth.
What such a focus misses is the bottom line issue at the heart of this conflict. With the best of Intentions, Israel's founders made a fundamental TACTICAL error in where they chose to establish the Jewish state. They went looking for peace and security for the Jewish people, right in the middle of a region of the world dominated by psychopathic despots.
And what 75 years of evidence shows is that by making that decision they unintentionally condemned generations of Israeli Jews to never ending conflict. Never. Ending. Conflict. And not the peace and security the Jewish people deserve.
What's been happening ever since the founding of Israel is that the hyper-capable Israeli people have been doubling down on the original tactical mistake. But as capable as they are, they are never going to conquer the entire Arab and Persian world. And that is what would be necessary to ensure Israel's security once and for all.
The details of this conflict are hyper complex, but the bottom line is not. Israelis face a choice between a particular peace of land in one of the worst neighborhoods in the world, and peace and security for their children, grandchildren, and all following descendants.
It's their choice to make. All we can do from the outside is not say or do anything that encourages them to think they can have their cake and eat it too, because that just isn't possible.
I live in a big university town in America. I've been here 50 years. There are lots of Jews here. No rockets are falling on them.