Israel’s endless war
The war between Israel and Hamas is getting less and less attention in U.S. media. It is still ongoing though, and it is estimated that at least 39,400 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the conflict in October 2023, many of them children. Israel is determined to crush the terrorist organization Hamas once and forever, but it will be difficult given the ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people. There will continue to be an Arab desire to fight Israel, seen as the occupier, also going forward. Israel has seen the ongoing war as a justification to further solidify and expand the occupation and oppression in the West Bank, further pushing Palestinians to camps and despair.
From a U.S. perspective, the main concern is the survival of the Jewish state and the continuation of the strong partnership between the two countries. It is likely one of the closest U.S. allies globally, with U.S. funding Israel with billions of dollars annually. The relationship between Biden and prime minster Netanyahu is not good, but the countries are close regardless. Biden has been criticized by the progressive part of the democratic party for supporting and enabling the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip. It takes a lot to get Jews to shun democratic candidates though.
For the past century, Jews have generally given democrats running for president 70% of their votes or more. Lyndon B Johnson and FDR got 90%. The low point was support for Jimmy Carter at 57%. In a recent Gallup poll, just 35% of democrats sympathize more with Israelis than Palestinians, compared to 80% of republicans who side with Israelis. There might be a slight impact on the election in November, but not so much from Jewish voters, but a bigger impact might be felt from Arab-Americans, traditionally democratic voters, not supporting the democratic party.
It is difficult to feel sympathetic towards Israel, a country that keep killing people in the Gaza Strip, that expands occupation of Palestinian land, has a constitution based on apartheid, continues terrorizing non-Jews in Israel and is militarily active in several countries in the Middle East, including Yemen and Lebanon. It is definitely easier to feel compassion and sympathy for the oppressed Palestinians and to be for a free and independent Palestine.
A major problem in the equation is that most Arab countries do not recognize Israel’s right to exist. Egypt was the first Arab state to recognize Israel diplomatically in 1979 with the signing of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. It was followed by Jordan with the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty in 1994. In 2020, four more Arab states (the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan) normalized relations in the Abraham Accords. The next step would be closer Saudi-Israel relations. Iran is the key antagonist in the Middle East for Israel including Iranian proxy organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah. As a curious footnote, for some reason, Obama felt emotionally close to Iran and built closer ties to Iran, including a nuclear pact. In a poll of Israelis near the end of his tenure, Obama had an approval rating in single digits.
As long as Israel is surrounded by hostility and countries not recognizing its existence, Israel will have to continue aggressions, both domestically and externally, in the name of survival as a nation. They will continue treating Palestinians as second-rate citizens, steal their land in occupied areas, keep killing Palestinians in Gaza and keep sending rockets into Yemen and Lebanon. They are also alert for increased threats such as Iranian nuclear weapons and willing to strike if needed. Israel must continue to be assertive as they are under constant treats. This was the case also in October, when Hamas crossed into Israel and killed 1200 Jews and took about 240 hostages. It is estimated that about 50 hostages are still alive in Gaza. An action like that must have consequences.
In order for Israel to change, there needs to be an end to Arab terrorism and Arab states not recognizing Israel. Once this is achieved, international help, preferable from non-colonial countries, might make the parties work closer together. The end goal must be a free Palestine, but in order for that to happen, Israel’s security and existence must be recognized and respected. Until then, Israel has no choice but to keep fighting opponents in an endless war.