After the terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, I’ve been trying to come to terms with what is happening in that troubled part of the world. Since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 following the end of World War II, peace has been fleeting, almost to the point of being an abstraction.
Among decent people everywhere, there can be no justification for the Hamas attack on Israeli citizens that led to the death of 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 764 civilians, and 248 persons taken hostage during the initial attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip.
Just as it was with 9-11, there is, nor should there be, any appetite for considering the point of view of the terrorists.
And just as it was with America after 9-11, an enraged Israel has vowed to wipe the terrorists responsible for the attacks off the face of the earth.
Up to this point, there is nothing here that is in conflict with my conscience.
But there is a line between reprisal and massacre, between punishment and genocide, between measured, tactical responses and blind rage that make no distinction between the terrorist and the toddler.
Since Oct. 7, more than 20,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed by Israeli military forces in Gaza, including attacks on refugee camps not only in Gaza, but on the West Bank, which is governed not by Hamas but by the Palestinian Authority and played no role in the Oct. 7 attack. The United Nations estimates that a quarter of the Gaza population faces starvation as Israel blocks humanitarian aid. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel at this point.
Israel claims the death toll is a result of Hamas fighters embedding themselves within the civilian population, but offers no proof. There should be a burden of proof when you are killing people by the thousands.
Since the creation of the Israeli state, the U.S. has provided unwavering support to Israel. It is the policy of every administration since Truman that America “stands with Israel.”
But at what point does conscience interrupt that idea?
In the 19th Century, there was a populist movement in America that proclaimed “My Country, Right or Wrong,” a misguided form of patriotism. British essayist G.K. Chesterton recognized the absurdity of that sentiment. “It is like saying ‘My mother, drunk or sober,’” Chesterton wrote. “No doubt if a decent man’s mother took to drink he would share her troubles to the last; but to talk as if he would be in a state of gay indifference as to whether his mother took to drink or not is certainly not the language of men who know the great mystery.”
“My country, right or wrong,” is an expression of blind patriotism, which is no patriotism at all. It is, rather, Jingoism and Jingoism can only bring about the downfall of the nation, just like false pride brings us to a fall on a personal level.
The idea that America’s support for Israel is “My Ally, Right or Wrong” is equally dangerous.
The Israeli government has forcibly and violently colonized, terrorized and advanced apartheid conditions and a slow genocide of indigenous Palestinians for 75 years because of a refusal to accept a two-state compromise.
You can say the same thing about Hamas.
In fact, there are two things that Hamas leadership and Israeli Prime Minister/Mad Man Benjamin Netanyahu have in common: The rejection of a two-state solution and a ghoulish blood lust that rains indiscriminate death on civilians in an effort to make sure a two-state solution where both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace is never established.
Every civilian death in Gaza makes Hamas stronger, not weaker. It guarantees future attacks on innocent Israelis. This cannot continue.
I stand by the Israel that maintains its sovereignty, yes, but also seeks to live in peace with its neighbors.
That is not the Israel I am seeing today.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion