By high school I had read, of course, about Hitler's "Final Solution", the sheer evil of which staggered my imagination, up to 6 million dead Jews. There was Anne Frank's diary. But the proverbial "picture is worth a thousand words": at some point in high school, I saw a documentary about the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp, and its images are seared into my memory: mounds of nude dead Jews, emaciated victims, a dark-haired girl with bulging eyes, all skin and bones with a haunting smile. I could not fathom the unspeakable evil of genocide. Never again!
As a devout Catholic boy and altar boy, I didn't know much about contemporary Jews. I was more curious about why Jews rejected Christ's ministry and about kosher dietary customs, which Christians don't follow. So, in high school I befriended SK, a Jew who succeeded me as valedictorian at a south Texas public high school. One day I asked him about the restrictions against eating ham: he contemptuously glared at me, saying in a condescending tone, "I'm a REFORMED Jew." So, I learned there are different types of Jews, just like there are different types of Christians. Now, I didn't judge Jews over Christ's passion; I knew Jesus was a Jew, and these were the people He knew and loved. And God endowed each person with free will. I've come to befriend other American Jews as well, including a lovely fellow math instructor who eventually married my Navy best buddy Joe, and my project lead on a Brazilian project while we worked for a marketing research company later acquired by Equifax.
But to be honest, I've had a nuanced position about the Israel/Palestinian problem. Nothing questioning Israel's right to exist. But I remember back in primary school, the Scholastic Weekly Reader posed the question of the like if you had been forced from your home, did you have a right to return, i.e., Palestinians? And I have to admit I was somewhat empathetic to this perspective and the need for peaceful coexistence in the region.
The news of Hamas' surprise bloody attack on Israel a week ago shocked me, especially the brutal deaths of Israeli civilians. Whereas reports of beheaded babies, referenced by Biden, remain uncorroborated, but civilians, including babies, fell victim to the terrorists. But make no mistake; the USG has characterized Hamas as a terrorist organization since the late '90's, although others have restricted the designation to the militant (vs. political) wing. Hamas' original charter called for the destruction of Israel and still has refused to recognize its right to exist. Hamas' rise started in the context of the first intifada (1987) or uprising (violent resistance, boycotts, civil disobedience, etc.) ending in 1993. Frustrated by 90's diplomatic failures to establish a Palestinian state, a second intifada began in 2000, ending in 2005. Hamas won elections in Gaza in 2007 after an Israeli withdrawal. There have been skirmishes since then, including rocket attacks, kidnappings, and the 2014 Gaza war, with Israel attempting to neutralize Palestinian violence.
This is not to say Israel's responses have been beyond criticism in terms of the brutal nature of responses from a superior IDF, including numerous civilian casualties in collateral damage. Israel's response in an anticipated counterattack? It seems Israel's ultimatum for civilians to evacuate to southern Gaza is unrealistic, and cutoffs of power and fuel pose a threat to hospitals and evacuations. I tweeted earlier this week imploring Israel to minimize collateral damage and for IDF to act professionally.
From a political principles standpoint, I'm wary of foreign entanglements, and the risk of moral hazard and/or corruption in foreign aid. there's no question that the US' largely one-sided support of Israel may complicate a regional settlement of a two-state solution.
Finally, American politics has taken a nasty turn on the crisis, especially on the GOP side:
- the RNC chair has suggested the crisis is a golden political opportunity for the GOP against Biden
- the GOP has sought to link Iran to the Hamas attack, including a recent Biden decision to unfreeze certain Iranian assets. As I understand it, said assets remain intact and are restricted to humanitarian uses. There's no evidence of Iran's involvement in operational planning or funding of the attack. The neo-cons seem to be agitating for possibly another disastrous Gulf region intervention.
- Trump has irresponsibly praised Hezbollah as "very smart" during the crisis and attacked the Israeli PM. (Also, see the previous point.) I have provided other arguments against Trump once again serving as Commander in Chief, including his abuse of classified data procedures. Note, in fact, Trump has allegedly leaked Israeli intelligence.
