A few basic points on Israel, HAMAS, and Gaza
Things that should be clear but aren't
It has been a month since the pogrom of October 7. Israel is mourning its victims and trying to bring home the hostages. The hostages and their families are living a nightmare. IDF is hunting HAMAS down in Gaza, with Gaza civilians being caught in the crossfire and living their own nightmare. The Middle East is on edge, as are many European cities and American university campuses.
On a recent visit to Stanford University, I ran into this pro-Palestinian student sit-in.
This made me realize that some things that should be obvious aren't. So I decided to share how I see them, in the order of urgency and priority:
Israel faces the existential danger of the war on three fronts and has the right of self-defense. It needs to restore deterrence. No country can tolerate perpetrators of such a large-scale, gruesome attack next door.
The liberation of HAMAS hostages should be a clear moral imperative for the friends of Israel as well as friends of Palestinians.
HAMAS raiders are sadistic killers. HAMAS is a criminal organization, an enemy of both Jews and Arabs. It must be neutralized.
Gaza civilians are in the crossfire at this moment. Their deaths and suffering are tragic.
Israel has no good options. I believe the IDF's assurances that they intend to minimize civilian casualties - their actions have proven this. However, it's clear that neutralizing HAMAS takes priority for them. It's not my place to second-guess them.
The international community of well-wishers shares responsibility for the decades-old mess that led to this tragedy. It should back off and let Israel decide how to proceed.
The surge of anti-semitism in liberal democracies is shameful, as is any failure to condemn HAMAS atrocities. Portraying HAMAS as freedom fighters is wrong.
This is what matters the most right now. This part is pretty straightforward. There is, of course, much more to the conflict. It's complex, so nuance and wisdom will be required to resolve it – later, after the current crisis is over.
Those who have strong opinions on what the Israeli government and IDF should and should not do in this time of crisis should try to imagine themselves in their shoes. Ask yourself: What would you do?
Yes, there are no good options; one has to choose the least harmful.
I strongly agree with you, particularly on point no.6.