To me, the central conundrum is whether or not Israel’s responsibility for the radicalization of the Palestinian people should shape our response. On one hand, the attack on Israeli civilians is pure evil and driven by a radicalized government that appears uninterested in a two-state solution. In this perspective, it seems to be Israel’s prerogative to pursue the complete destruction of Hamas, regardless of the loss of civilian life. Hamas will not negotiate therefore Israel can no longer tolerate its existence as a dominant force in Palestinian politics.
On the other hand, Israel’s decades of settlement in the West Bank, prior military occupation of Palestinian land, and sealing of humanitarian aid from Gaza only seems to have furthered the radicalization of the Palestinian groups like Hamas. Any further military action to remove Hamas will only lead to another generation of radicalized Palestinian groups that look to Israel as their jailmaster. An unending cycle of hurt and radicalization.
So what are we to do? Should the West intervene in the administration of Gaza? Should a ground invasion of Gaza be coupled with a humanitarian campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Palestinian people? Iraq and Afghanistan are cautionary tales of how challenging that can be. I have no answers, but I pray that we keep the lives of both the Israeli and Palestinian people at the forefront of our minds and seek long-term solutions to this conflict.
I appreciate your level-headed analysis.
To me, the central conundrum is whether or not Israel’s responsibility for the radicalization of the Palestinian people should shape our response. On one hand, the attack on Israeli civilians is pure evil and driven by a radicalized government that appears uninterested in a two-state solution. In this perspective, it seems to be Israel’s prerogative to pursue the complete destruction of Hamas, regardless of the loss of civilian life. Hamas will not negotiate therefore Israel can no longer tolerate its existence as a dominant force in Palestinian politics.
On the other hand, Israel’s decades of settlement in the West Bank, prior military occupation of Palestinian land, and sealing of humanitarian aid from Gaza only seems to have furthered the radicalization of the Palestinian groups like Hamas. Any further military action to remove Hamas will only lead to another generation of radicalized Palestinian groups that look to Israel as their jailmaster. An unending cycle of hurt and radicalization.
So what are we to do? Should the West intervene in the administration of Gaza? Should a ground invasion of Gaza be coupled with a humanitarian campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Palestinian people? Iraq and Afghanistan are cautionary tales of how challenging that can be. I have no answers, but I pray that we keep the lives of both the Israeli and Palestinian people at the forefront of our minds and seek long-term solutions to this conflict.