The Left Failed the Hamas Test, and Making Sense of This World
Where are we headed?
So much of the current discourse about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has bothered me. I guess I assumed it would be easy for everyone to clear the Hamas bar. Many can’t or won’t.
In the article linked below, I try to figure out why. How could so many Americans and other Westerners who live in societies where they champion human rights and civil liberties act in defense or indifference of a terrorist group like Hamas?
It’s really surprised me that many of these same people are staunch defenders of Ukraine. They want Ukraine to defend itself at all costs against its Russian oppressors.
But in the case of Israel-Palestine, for many of these people, Israel is more akin to Russia and Palestine to Ukraine. Making the barbaric Hamas attacks on innocent Israeli civilians almost a form of justified resistance.
This line of thinking has really bothered me.
In my view, nothing justifies the direct targeting of innocent civilians. Nothing excuses murder, rape, and torture of innocent people to achieve political ends. That’s the very definition of terrorism.
I know Israel is not perfect. Far from it. I address all of those points in the following article. And I try to remain as objective and nuanced as possible.
Please, if I missed something or if you strongly think otherwise, I want to understand your perspective, so long as you’re making it in good faith.
Here’s a brief excerpt of the essay I wrote: The Left Failed the Hamas Test. You can read the full piece over on Medium.
So it’s understandable why one might boil with anger and rage at the plight of Palestinians. In many ways, they live in an apartheid state. It needs to change.
But to justify, defend, or excuse the targeted murder, rape, and torture of innocent civilians in response to these conditions is not only failing the Hamas test. It’s legitimizing their cause. The ultimate aim of which they are not shy about advertising: to wipe Israel off the map.
So while Palestinians have faced daily oppression from Israel, the Israelis live with existential risk every single day. And it’s not just from Hamas. Hezbollah in the north, Iran, and many Arab nations want to see Israel gone. They’ve tried to make this happen multiple times over the past 75 years.
Solely focusing on the plight of the Palestinians and not appreciating the harsh geopolitical reality Israel has to endure is intellectually lazy. It’s easy to say, “Oh, well, Israel is just an instrument of the West and the United States in particular, and they’re oppressing all of these Palestinians so anything they do is wrong and anything bad that happens to them is good.”
If you call yourself a Democrat or liberal who champions human rights, civil liberties, and freedom generally, how can you be intellectually honest with yourself and hold those views?
We must remember core human values - consistently
Just as many defenders of freedom and democracy jumped to Ukraine’s defense, many should jump to Israel’s in the face of terrorism. That does not excuse Israel for its own misdeeds, just as it does not excuse Ukraine for a history of rampant corruption.
The taking of innocent lives though. The taking of sovereignty and the right to self-government. By this point in the 21st century, we should all be in agreement on these core principles. And they should be applied consistently, no matter the country or person.
In light of everything happening in Israel and Palestine, we must remain vigilant to democratic threats elsewhere. That means never forgetting about Ukraine. Staying focused on Taiwan. Fighting elsewhere for peoples’ right to self-govern, should they want it.
And now for a cleanse
It’s hard for me to tune out of the daily news and current events. As a lifelong student of politics and a lawyer by training and experience, I love viewing the world through an analytical prism. But it gets exhausting.
So I took a break and explored some of the best bakeries in Manhattan with my son. Hope you’ll tag along and enjoy.
Thanks for reading.