#773 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday October 16)
Good morning,
I am not inclined to quote a living person, much less in real time, much less a pundit! But here is one from the inimitable Nicholas Kristoff:
“If your moral compass is attuned to the suffering of only one side, your compass is broken, and so is your humanity.”
As we are now ten days out from the Hamas murdering and hostage-taking spree, I’m starting to think about where things are and where I fear they could go. As usual, some may think some of my thoughts are at counter-purposes with others; however, I think a number of ideas seemingly at odds can be held at one time.
CONTEXT
We grieve. I read the many postings of family members and friends about their lost loved ones, I grieve. What happened in Israel a little over a week ago was not merely citizens being caught in the crossfire to become what people euphemistically call “collateral damage.” They were not combatants. They were not “in harm’s way.” They were not hiding or shielding combatants. They were at parties and music festivals and in their homes. They included children, the elderly and the infirm. They were murdered, without justification. Not only were they murdered, but they were murdered because they were a member of a racial/religious/ethnic group. That’s called genocide. There is no doubt that Hamas must be neutralized and made to pay for its wanton disregard for human life. I grieve also for the Palestinian civilians that will be caught in this cross-fire.
There is no justification. There are people who will say that the murder and kidnapping of Israelis somehow is justified by the building of settlements in, and the continuing occupation of, territories that have been the homeland of Palestinian Arabs for years and are reserved for a future Palestinian state. They also will say that Israel “asked for this” because of the ongoing occupation and inability or unwillingness to seriously negotiate a peace. There is a difference between explanation and justification—two related but completely different concepts. While the occupation, the provocative visits and prayer on the Temple Mount, and the settlements may serve as a partial explanation for the anger of the Palestinian people (or even provocations to action) they do not justify—not in the slightest—what happened ten days ago.
Apologists for the Murderous Rampage are Reprehensible. It is chilling that there are those who describe this as a “historic win for the Palestinian resistance.” Some suggest that the murder at the rave concert was a “consequence” for “partying on stolen land.” Let’s be clear, the partying was on land that in no peace agreement was part of any prior land-for-peace offer. This was in Israel proper.
Animus runs deep. While there is ample reason to question Israeli actions in the Palestinian territory conquered from Jordan and Egypt in 1967, let’s remember that it all didn’t start there. Upon declaration of a state in 1948, the Arab nations surrounding Israel, declared war and didn’t recognize Israel’s right to exist. In the meantime, Israel drove Palestinians from their historic homes in the “Naqba.” The tensions between the Arab world and the small enclave of Jews in Palestine extends prior to the founding of the Jewish state. Jews were expelled or forced by violence to leave Arab lands where they lived in peace for centuries. Israel is characterized by its detractors as colonial interlopers in the Middle East. That’s because such a characterization is a comforting justification to demand their expulsion from the Middle East. But they have been co-inhabitants of this area throughout much of human history, including long periods of time when Muslims and Jews lived peacefully side-by-side.
Principles that Drive Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. There are those in Palestine and Israel that seek peace with Israel, just as there are those in Israel who seek the same. But these three groups do not believe in a negotiated peace. They believe in death to the Jews. The Hamas charter and its repeated rhetoric does not suggest rapprochement with Israel; it calls for the elimination of the Jews and Israel. As for Hezbollah, they use the Palestinian cause as part of the justification for their acts, emanating from the formerly peaceful, liberal, and democratic Lebanon. Iran makes no apology for its Jew-hatred and they’re not even related to the Palestinian people. They are the chief benefactors of Hamas. The problems in the middle East run deep and they weren’t invented by the occupation—although they no doubt were exacerbated by it.
And Yet Concessions—Even if Unilateral—Must be Made. The occupation of the West Bank cannot continue. It is unprecedented in its duration and the increased infiltration by settlements. The daily humiliations and restrictions of the indigenous Arab population cannot endure. A solution must be found and I believe can be found. The current Netanyahu government provided little room for meaningful negotiation and compromise. The successor government that is likely to follow the colossal mismanagement by this government hopefully will be able to move the ball further.
Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right. Israel is right and justified to seek out the perpetrators, including those who govern Gaza. But Israel is not justified in denying water and other essentials to civilians, nor taking actions that unnecessarily put civilians at risk, nor does this latest round of terror excuse the inability of Israel to come up with some solution—perhaps imposed unilaterally and with some risk—that includes self-government by the Palestinian people.
At Some Point the Palestinians Must Repudiate Hamas Themselves. The Gazan people deserve the right to choose their own leaders—something Hamas has denied to them since 2006. The Palestinian people (both in Gaza and the West Bank) have been ill-served by their leaders, both in Fatah and Hamas—organizations that are committed to ongoing conflict and riddled are with corruption. It is difficult to imagine peace without repudiation of Hamas.
WHAT I FEAR
One crime does not warrant another. Israel has an obligation to minimize attacks on the civilian population.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza must be dealt with by international organizations and Israel should not stand athwart those efforts.
I fear the door-to-door fighting on someone else’s home turf. Hamas has a plan. They had to know Israel would respond. Gaza no doubt is loaded with booby-traps and hidden militants. They know the terrain.
Innocents will die. Many have left after warning from Israel; some have determined to remain. Some are being used as human shields. More will die the longer this lasts. While Israel has a responsibility to reduce civilian casualties, the danger to civilians rests also rests with those who cynically use women, children, and the infirm to protect criminals.
There is no doubt that the timing of the horrific acts of Hamas was driven by the Saudi-Israeli rapprochement. After all, in any sort of peace deal Israel would gain stature in the Arab world, Iran (Hamas’s chief backer) would be weakened, and Fatah would gain the upper hand among the Palestinians (at Hamas’s expense). I have no doubt this war will slow this treaty, but I don’t think it will stop it, unless it drags on for months and world opinion shifts against Israel (all of which, of course, is in Iran’s best interest).
Iran is cheering this on as a costly distraction for Israel. It also furthers Iran’s desire for Shiite domination of the predominantly Sunni Arab world that is led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt and supported by America. It is not impossible to imagine Hezbollah, effectively an Iranian client-state in Lebanon, joining the fight, which would change the facts on the ground meaningfully.
I hope Israel has the good sense to pursue a just resolution with minimal casualties, get the hell out of there and call on Arab governments to step in and manage Gaza until the Gazans can govern themselves (without Hamas). Let’s remember that some 2/3 of the Gazans do not approve of the Hamas government. It pains me to see them suffer.
While I don’t want to wade into the myriad attempts at a peace agreement that have failed, there is little doubt that continued Israeli settlements and the racist rhetoric of some of Israel’s leaders have contributed to the tension in the region. I will have something more to say about this historic dilemma in an upcoming Musing.
Have a great week,
Glenn