We Used To Be The Cavalry
By
Leonard Zwelling
https://www.wsj.com/articles/joe-biden-benjamin-netanyahu-israel-hamas-michigan-nevada-af0cccaa?mod=opinion_feat1_editorials_pos1
A few truths please.
The United States used to represent the face of good in the world, the face of justice, the face of freedom.
Hamas does not represent good, justice, or freedom for anyone except Hamas. It certainly does not have the best interest of the people of Gaza who Hamas governs in mind if it builds its munitions and hides its personnel next to schools and hospitals. It doesn’t care about the average Gazan if in lieu of building a viable infrastructure, it builds tunnels. And Hamas has only one goal—kill the Jews of Israel.
In case anyone has forgotten (and that would be you Senator Schumer) Hamas is the bad guys. They started this war and Israel must eradicate Hamas, free all the hostages, and make sure there is never a threat to Israel from Gaza ever again (see editorial #1 above).
In the second piece, William A. Galston is a bit more forgiving than I, in that he readily admits to be sickened by what has happened in Gaza since Israel invaded, but does agree that Senator Schumer was way over the line in delving into Israeli domestic politics by seeking the ouster of prime minister Netanyahu.
This is not to say that Bibi is not guilty of being an awful leader. He is. He is the primary cause of the political dynamic that is a weak Palestinian Authority, an uncontrolled Hamas, and Hezbollah just waiting for the right moment to attack from the north. It was a temporary equilibrium into which he pumped no free energy so it disintegrated into chaos. Middle East entropy.
However, now is not the time for the United States to be messing in Israeli politics and demanding a cease fire that would be a victory for Hamas if the terrorist organization is allowed to keep 6 battalions in Rafah.
Similarly, why is the US not flooding Ukraine with weapons, including offensive jets, so that the Ukrainians can defend themselves against one of our enemies? (The package just passed Congress and was finally signed by Biden).
Where’s John Wayne when you need him?
I am not suggesting that US troops get involved in either Gaza or Ukraine, but we should be firmly siding with the Israelis and the Ukrainians until these wars are over and the good guys win.
Look no further than 1939 and Poland to understand what Putin is doing in Europe. He must be stopped in Ukraine so he can go no further.
Similarly, we should encourage the Israelis to try to minimize civilian casualties but to take Rafah and wipe out Hamas. Remember, the war in Gaza could end tomorrow if Hamas surrendered and left and the hostages came home. Rebuilding Gaza will take money and time, but the Arab world has plenty of both.
It is dilemmas like this that make voting for Joe Biden so hard. Rather than do the right thing, he is playing to the left wing of his party. As I read recently, he’s interested in a “two-state solution,” Michigan and Nevada.
The war in Gaza has many causes and Netanyahu’s handling of the Palestinian issue is certainly one of them. However, first win the war. There will be plenty of time to point fingers and synthesize better solutions once the Gaza war is over.
We should not be confused in our loyalties by civilian deaths, as awful as they are, unless we want to have a cease fire in Ukraine by giving the Russians Kyiv.
The Ukraine war could end tomorrow if Russia just went home and attended to its own mess.
The Gaza war could end tomorrow with the elimination of Hamas. I understand it’s an ideology. Killing all of the Hamas soldiers in Gaza does not eliminate Hamas in the West Bank, but it would severely dent the influence of terrorism in the Middle East.
Winning World War II did not eliminate Naziism as Charlottesville demonstrated. But it was a necessary thing for the United States to do.
So is victory in the current wars.
