You know you’ve been watching too much news when you start dreaming about Israel.
A couple nights ago I dreamed I was in a kibbutz (a rural town) in Israel near the Gaza Strip. My wife and I had joined a bunch of tourists to come to Israel during the war (as good a time as any!) About twenty of us crowded into a one-room house. I had two concerns in my dream: first, where were we going to sleep and, second, would Hamas pay us a visit during our sleep?
Before I could worry too much, a young Palestinian family started to dance in the middle of the room. With nothing else for entertainment, we watched with interest as two young kids began a little jig. Then my alarm went off.
I’ll resist the temptation of prophetic interpretation and admit that I’ve become too involved in this conflict – watching too much news and listening to too many podcasts, to both Israelis and Palestinians. I’ve been trying to understand both sides of the conflict.
New York Times columnist Ezra Klein, a Jewish voice on the liberal side of the spectrum, has been guiding me through much of it. He made a particularly salient point when he said support for Israel in the West is largely generational. The older generation remembers when Israel was vulnerable - when its very existence was at stake. The younger generation (his and mine) has grown up witnessing Israel's occupation of the West Bank and general power over the Palestinians. Their greatest vulnerability has been to terrorist attacks, some of which can be tied to the treatment of the Palestinian people.
Both sides share blame, but one side is clearly stronger militarily. This drives perception. Even in the U.S., support for Palestinians is rising faster than for Israel.
An Israeli professor and former soldier said it’s of utmost importance to not show the surrounding countries, some of which want Israel to be destroyed, that they are not weak when attacked. Yet when he was pressed as to whether the invasion of the Gaza Strip was the right approach strategically, he admitted it might not be. He spoke as if it had to be.
Understandably, any country with superior military might will want vengeance upon its attackers. But I question the assumption that other countries feel Israel is weak. Most countries understand Israel is backed by the U.S. almost unconditionally. In the past, they have had the tendency to strike back at the smallest provocation.
Hamas knew how to draw Israel into a conflict. If the goal was to disrupt any chance of peace in the region, they have already won. Hamas may be destroyed or weakened to the point where it has no more power, but will the hostility of Palestinians and surrounding Arab nations be worth it? It’s a conundrum for any country dealing with an unspeakable tragedy.
The greatest problem for Israel is that there is no real end game. This might suit Israel’s current leadership, a government that was on the brink of defeat. The country was on the verge of civil war before the attacks, only now brought together with common purpose. Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to ride this wave of support as long as he can.
Who suffers in the meantime? The people of Gaza, obviously. They have virtually no place to run or hide. Their lives, homes, and economy are ruined. Jews throughout the world are also threatened, with antisemitism on the rise. Israeli hostages and their families are bearing a heavy price. The longer the invasion continues, the less hope they may have of seeing their loved ones alive.
On the world stage, the U.S. is losing credibility with a large portion of the world. While they will be on the right side of history regarding the war in Ukraine, supporting Israel unconditionally is fraught with perils.
With media present everywhere, anyone can watch the destruction unfolding in the Gaza Strip. It's hard to watch the suffering in real time.
At this point, we can only dream of peace.
