Israel needs our support

The shocking and unjustified attack on Israel by Hamas has killed more than a thousand civilians and deeply shaken the Jewish homeland, creating disorder in the Middle East that could lead to a global confrontation.

The brutality of the Palestinian terrorist organization that controls Gaza, especially in targeting children and the elderly and its grotesque parading of mutilated corpses, must be universally condemned. The chant “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free,” along with the display of Nazi symbols and the spewing of antisemitic vitriol at weekend demonstrations in New York, can only be seen as support for Hamas’ goal of killing Jews and eliminating the state of Israel. There should be no countenance of Hamas apologists in this war.

While social media allows us to witness this unfolding devastation firsthand, that stream is rife with misinformation and lies. Snippets of video, even if not doctored, cannot provide context and a full understanding of what is happening in the Middle East. Being reliably informed is critical.

Israel has no choice but to respond to Hamas in a way that will secure the country but not further inflame Palestinian tensions, lest it spurs attacks on other fronts by Iran-sponsored Hezbollah. That would further destabilize the region. Sadly, this political provocation occurred amid a glimmer of possible reconciliation as the Biden administration was brokering a bold diplomatic deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel that could have led to better policies regarding Palestinians. Hamas wanted to derail this process, and Iran appears to have been deeply involved with this deadly attack to retain its own power in this complex geopolitical conflict.

The Biden administration, as it must, is continuing its strong support of Israel. The deployment of U.S. warships to the Eastern Mediterranean was an important symbol of our solidarity while providing strategic military muscle and the ability to evacuate U.S. citizens, if necessary. As bloodshed continues into a fourth day with the death toll of Israelis and Palestinians rising into the thousands, Israel would be wise to negotiate the release of the many hostages taken by Hamas, likely including some Americans. Qatar and other Arab nations should be pressuring Hamas to release the captives. Many New Yorkers are stranded in Israel; the State Department must expedite their return.

There will be time enough to hold Benjamin Netanyahu’s government accountable, first for the massive intelligence failure of dismissing a possible attack around the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War and then for the slow military response to Saturday’s invasion. More broadly, his divisive policies weakened the government while letting the far-right faction in his coalition establish harsh policies toward Palestinians. The seeds of what happened this weekend come in part from decades of Israel denying Palestinian national aspirations.

Addressing Palestinian concerns and reestablishing Israel’s security could be months, if not years away. For now, the goal must be to quickly contain and end this war.