The Unavoidable Images of War

There is no doubt about it. Israel is losing the PR war. Increasingly condemned by the international community for its conduct in the war.

It’s easy to blame it on antisemitism. I have in fact said exactly that. Many times. And I believe that is a significant part of it based on the centuries long history of Jew hatred in Europe which has never really gone away. It has always been there just below the surface ready to rear its ugly head at the slightest provocation. And the war against Hamas in Gaza is more than a slight provocation.

 The only major international defender of Israel’s right to continue to pursue Hamas is the US. As recently as yesterday President Biden said almost exactly that adding only that Israel must limit civilian casualties. 

His comment and the near universal condemnation of Israel by the international community was due to the horrible results of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza a couple of days ago. Results that were not all that different than some of what Hamas did to Israel on October 7^th. The major difference of course being intent. Israel did not intend it. Hamas intended it. And is in the midst of still carrying its nefarious intent by holding and tormenting Israeli captives. 

It’s too bad that only the United States has the right perspective on this. And that the international community so easily forgets what Hamas did to Israel on that day (on purpose). On the other hand yesterday’s tragic event was made in error by Israel’s own admission. An admission issued by Israel’s prime minister and promised a full and thorough investigation of what exactly happened and why.

These facts do not, however, change the optics. When the media fails to remind its viewers why Israel is involved in this war in the first place, those optics can easily explain why (if I am not mistaken) the majority of Americans think Israel should stop the war. It’s hard to see human suffering on such a massive scale on a near daily basis and not be affected by it. If I wasn’t sufficiently informed about the history of the conflict and the existential crisis Israel faces  from the foes that surround it (armed and supported by Iran) I would feel the same way.

Israel is losing the PR war big time. And those optics are the reason. Optics bolstered by the exaggerated number of civilian casualties claimed by Hamas. Not to mention the images of displacement and near starvation of surviving civilians in Gaza. 

So what is my point here? Israel is in a no win situation. They are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. They cannot afford to allow Hamas to retain its military infrastrcutue  (e.g. those terror tunnels) while remaining in power in Gaza. 

On the other hand every day images of Palestinian suffering continues, Israel becomes an even greater pariah than it was the day before. 

Israel cannot afford to let Hamas win and at the same time it cannot afford to pursue them until they are victorious - if that means more images of burning beheaded babies from Israeli air strikes. Even if it isn’t intended and the actual targets are legitimate.

And what about the hostages? How do we get them back? Alive?

Furthermore - even if Israel does manage to remove Hamas from power in Gaza and get the hostages back safely, what happens next? And how do Palestinians really feel about Hamas continuing to rule?

Common sense should make any rational human being understand that what Hamas did to Israel on October 7^th is the cause of their suffering today. That they have had enough of Hamas and their tactics. And that maybe they should opt for a more peaceful leadership that would prevent anything like this from ever happening again.

But common sense has little to do the Palestinian mindset about Israel. Palestinians idolize Hamas. To this day they consider them their heroes that will eventually liberate the land stolen from them 76 years ago by Zionists. They applauded what Hamas did on the day as an act of armed resistance to the occupation

If anyone doubts that, I am sorry to disappoint you.. Yesterday on the PBS Newshour, Amna Nawaz interviewed Noura Erakat, associate professor at Rutgers University and a human rights lawyer. After repeatedly painting Israel in Nazi-like terms here is what Erakat said about how Palestinians feel about Hamas. 

(Hamas) is part of the national and political fabric of Palestinians... 

If one wants to know where the campus protesters get their anti Israel ideology from read the entire interview. 

I have no answers. Just questions.