Good morning,
THE HAMAS MASSACRES AND THE ISRAELI RESPONSE—AND EARLY QUESTIONS FOR HISTORIANS
It is said that journalists are the people who write the first draft of history.
We now are just weeks since the attacks of October 7th. That first draft of history—the daily reporting of events—is giving way as the “second draft” of that history begins to emerge—one that critiques the initial news reports, enhances factual reporting with analysis, and attempts to put events into a broader context. There are two places where I think this inquiry is uncovering some concerning information:
The first area of deeper inquiry is the “how did this happen” question. The tragic results of October 7th have been attributed in varying degrees to a colossal failure by Israeli intelligence, a redeployment of troops to the West Bank to support the settler movement, failing to listen to U.S. and other intelligence concerns, and the distraction resulting from the Netanyahu government’s attempt to remake the nature of the Israeli judiciary. All of these seem plausible explanations and no doubt contributed to the calamity that transpired.
But there’s another dark reason for the efficiency and effectiveness of the Hamas attacks besides these lapses and distractions. Hamas did a good job of making it seem as if no attack was likely. Most disturbing of all, Hamas apparently received information about various towns and homes in Israel from Palestinians who worked in these places. Over the course of months, a number of Gazan civilians who were employed in Israeli homes and businesses were surreptitiously gathering information and drawing maps showing points of vulnerability, identifying where security was deployed, and showing where munitions were stored.
The irony of this “intelligence gathering” by ordinary citizens is the nature of the Israeli citizens from whom the information was gathered and the violence that befell them as the result of this betrayal. The pain of this betrayal will reduce the already tenuous attempts to build trust between Israelis and Gazans.
Many of the residents of the towns near the Gazan border consisted in part of recent immigrants but also, in no small measure, people who saw the opportunity to defy history and choose to live near and work with the Gazan people. Many of the people who were killed in the Hamas day of murder were “peace-niks.” They chose to live alongside and engage with Gazan people, interacting with them as neighbors. One such peace-nik noted that her view had changed after the attacks and “we can trust them no more.” The lack of trust in this region of the world is a stain that sadly has existed for a long time and, as a result of recent events, likely will continue to exist for a very long time.
The second area of increased analysis is the extent of the Israeli response. People can legitimately question whether the military response was too devastating in its extent of its devastation and the impact on Palestinian lives. No doubt this will be debated in the coming months and years. Some of the questions raised that will take some time to better understand:
1. While the Israeli response was just that—a response—what was its impetus? The stated goal, and certainly the most important one, was to neutralize Hamas. But how much of the response and its magnitude was based upon retribution? It is often said, “if someone ever harmed a member of my family, I’d want to kill them with my bare hands.” This sort of response is explicable but not justifiable. Was its spirit a disproportionate factor in Israel’s response?
2. Did Israel have a plan? Most analysts suggest that Israel cannot go back and govern Gaza for some period of time. Anthony Blinken has been credited with voicing the concern that Israel doesn’t seem to have an “end game.” This is frighteningly reminiscent of the American invasion of Iraq. We knew we wanted to root out bad guys, but we had no real blueprint for the ensuing months and years. Prime Minister Netanyahu has said Israel may govern Gaza for a long time to come. I think his view not only is one most outside observers believe unrealistic, but is likely a minority view in Israel.
3. With the high civilian death count, the moral dilemma of “collateral damage” in the form of the death of innocents, presents a difficult question in any military operation in an enemy’s urban areas. Israel’s response would by definition have to had resulted in deaths. But how many are too many? When is it appropriate, in fighting an enemy that stated its intent to further commit acts of violence, to inflict devastation on the civilian population shielding that enemy? I suspect we will hear more debate in coming years about the morality of war and the definition of war crimes. But in doing so, the actions of Hamas pose an even more stark picture of combatants ignoring the safety of civilians.
4. A corollary concern is the culpability of Hamas in restricting civilians’ ability to leave the field of battle, the placement of command and control and the firing of weapons from civilian locales like mosques, schools, and hospitals, and the use of civilian infrastructure, like ambulances, for war aims. How can one ever “return fire” and neutralize an enemy that hides behind civilian populations?
YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP
At the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, a film showing the video of the massacres taken by Hamas was interrupted by fist fights initiated by Palestinian supporters, causing Bill Maher to note, “14 people were treated for irony.”
LIFE’S THIRD ACT
After my musings on aging, mentoring and life’s “third act,” Tor Kenward notes the following:
“I’ve had a few third acts as you may know, and candidly it is the challenges each presents that excites me most. Meeting great challenges later in life head on, gaining ground or overcoming them is the stuff that keeps me young and engaged. I’m 75 and wake up every morning with fire in the belly, looking forward to the day ahead…
Let’s keep the tires on the road as long as we can, looking forward to the horizon most of the time, not looking in the rear-view mirror.”
Have a great day,
Glenn
If the Israeli military is as good as we all thought they know how to strategically get Hamas individuals without killing thousands of innocent people .. it’s genocide .. I love what I heard one holocaust survivor say… never again means never again for anyone
One dies not kill 15,000 people to get a few guns