David Rothkopf @djrothkopf (Twitter thread)
The sides are so deeply entrenched that having a reasonable discussion about what is happening in Gaza is nearly impossible. Part of the problem is the large number of "facts" that are stated by one side or the other that are either untrue or misleading. Let's debunk a few.
• What Hamas did on 10/7 was indefensible and horrific. Any nation would respond. Israel has a right and an obligation of self-defense. Removing the threat posed by Hamas is essential.
• Both Israeli and Palestinian innocents have an equal right to living secure lives and to controlling their own destiny. There is no justification for killing members of either group. The long term path to their security requires a two-state solution.
• In my personal view, both sides have an equal right to self-determination. The lives of the people of both groups should be equally cherished and protected. It is very important to distinguish between the people of Israel and Palestine and their leaders.
• The people of Israel and Palestine have been badly served by their leaders for many years in multiple ways that provide the context for the current crisis. The current crisis cannot be removed from that context no matter how it may suit either side to do so.
You can calibrate all that I am about to say against the above nutshell description of my views on this complex issue which I have studied closely for many years. I am Jewish. I do not just acknowledge I actually celebrate Israel's existence. But I believe the rights of any nation to exist are conditional based on whether it derives its existence from the consent of the governed, respects and protects equally lives of all those within its borders, honors international laws and boundaries, etc.
- I am an American and I carry plenty of biases associated with that with me too.
- I believe in the separation of church and state.
- I believe in democracy.
- I believe states are imperfect but should strive to perfect themselves.
That said, here are a few things I view as the big distortions and misconceptions that are distorting the current debate:
Hamas is not an existential threat to Israel. It is a threat. But it is small and weak compared to Israel. It can inflict damage as we have seen but whatever the malevolent aspirations of its leaders may be it cannot destroy or substantially weaken the state of Israel.
Israel cannot "eradicate" Hamas. It can eliminate its leaders. It can target and likely eliminate all those that took part in the 10/7 raids it can eliminate its stores of weapons. It can cut off its financial resources. But there are tens of thousands of members of Hamas. And to eradicate them all would produce such high civilian casualties it would likely lead to massive new recruitment of Hamas terrorists.
Suggesting Israel is culpable in setting the stage for Hamas' brutal 10/7 attacks is "blaming the victim." Hamas is culpable for its crimes. But Hamas was propped up the Israeli government. The conditions that left Israel vulnerable were created by the Israeli government.
The history of Israel's mistreatment of Gaza and Palestinians matters. The worsening conditions and prospects for Palestinians under the Netanyahu government matters. The prospect of a regional normalization accord between the Israelis and the Saudis that would have very likely papered over the problems of the Palestinians and weakened their leverage to achieve crucial political progress matters. Security in the future will depend on political progress that addresses grievances and issues raised in the past.
War is hell. I see plenty of folks saying Hiroshima and Dresden and the like prove that civilians have to die in "just" wars. Killing civilians, collectively punishing societies is against international law for a reason.
- It is unjust.
- It was unjust in Hiroshima
- it was unjust in Dresden
- it is wrong in Ukraine
- It was wrong in Syria
- it was wrong in Iraq.
It is always wrong. It is never acceptable. There is no magic formula for acceptable civilian losses. They must always be avoided. Yes, it is hard when an adversary uses civilians as shields. But tactics must be adapted accordingly. Care must be taken. But also, the focus should in such cases be focus as suggested above on where the blows will be to greatest effect--against leaders, supply lines, flows of financial support.
We also should not forget the lessons of past such conflicts. In Iraq, the US estimated that each civilian killed resulted in 10 more new adversaries being recruited. Whatever the specific number, killing civilians is both wrong and undermines tactical and strategic goals.
Military action is essential to restoring stability. If a military solution could solve this conflict, it would be over. Israel is vastly more powerful than Hamas. It has punished Hamas frequently. It has imposed its will on the people of Gaza (and the West Bank) for years.
None of these steps have worked in making Israel more secure (as 10/7 proves) or solving the underlying problems. That can only be achieved by finding a lasting political solution that treats the aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians equally. The international community must make that its objective. (In so doing, it must recognize that Iran's malign influence and aspirations here must be contained. Iran is an existential threat to Israel. Its proxies are what could spread this into a regional war. The collaboration of Russia and Iran compounds the threat posed by those proxies. Defeating Russia in Ukraine, punishing the sponsors of the proxies financially, recognizing they are pulling the strings with Hamas, is critical to actually solving this problem. We must be realistic about this and we need to be resolute in addressing those threats. And, just as Hamas must effectively be removed from the equation in Gaza, so too must the Netanyahu government go. ASAP.
I could go on. The point is to solve this serious problem and to protect the lives of innocents we must be honest about the issues involved and see them for what they are and not for one side or the other tries to present them as. We require clarity to go with our resolve and our compassion. We can only hope that the urgency of this crisis helps us achieve that clarity.
https://twitter.com/djrothkopf/status/1718627028126023941
David J. Rothkopf is an American foreign policy, national security and political affairs analyst and commentator. He is the founder and CEO of TRG Media and The Rothkopf Group, a columnist for the Daily Beast and a member of the USA Today Board of Contributors.
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