In response to the worst slaughter of Jewish people since the Holocaust, the Israel Defense Force has the Gaza Strip surrounded in preparation for its military campaign to root out the Hamas terrorists that have ruled the controversial territory since 2007.
The Middle East has been in turmoil since Oct. 7 when the militant group crossed into Israel by air, land, and sea in a coordinated attack that saw thousands, including babies and teenagers at a peace concert, tortured, raped, and killed. The terrorists filmed their atrocities for the greatest effect, and their actions have galvanized the world into two camps: one horrified by the viciousness of the attacks and another in support of the Palestinians against the Jewish state they say have abused the Muslims for years.
Every action by either side is dissected and criticized the world over, and information has proven to be unreliable in the fog of the impending war. Pro-Palestinian protestors railed against a reported bomb attack on a Gaza hospital until it was revealed that it was a Hamas missile that had gone awry and had only landed in the facility's parking lot. Israeli hits on refugee camps at Al-Maghazi and Jabalia killed civilians, with the Israelis arguing that they are fronts for miles of underground tunnels where Hamas leaders have set up operations and are using Palestinians as human shields. Both sides of the debate wonder how Israel's intelligence and the vast U.S. network were caught so unprepared for the October assault.
Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu has joined with a former opponent to form a war party government that has vowed to totally eliminate Hamas rule in Gaza, while the Muslim Brotherhood, the parent organization of the militant group, has vowed to exterminate Jews not only in Israel but throughout the world. The threats have left many worrying that another attack of the magnitude of 911 could occur, especially with an open U.S. border that could allow Jihadists to connect with sleeper cells that analysts believe have already been established in this country.
President Biden has given mixed signals in his support of Israel calling for a pause in their strikes on Gaza, a move detractors argue will give the militants time to strengthen their defenses. Netanyahu has not called for U.S. military support as the administration focuses on humanitarian assistance and the safe return of hundreds of hostages. On Capitol Hill, debate has begun over the nation's willingness to take in Palestinian refugees. As Israel escalates its retribution, hundreds of thousands of Gazans have no place to go as surrounding countries, including Egypt bordering to the north, refuse to take them in. Criticism has been directed at Biden for playing both sides by funneling money to Hamas and to Iran, the region's most aggressive sponsor of terrorism.
The house's new speaker, Mike Johnson, roiled the Democrats by tying $14.5 billion in aid to Israel to cuts in the billions they allocated to the IRS to step up audits and tax enforcement here at home. Next on the agenda is a Biden request for $106 billion more for the conflict, as well as to support Ukraine and fund the processing of illegal immigrants. Johnson's approach of requiring cuts in other parts of the federal budget to offset new Biden spending is paying off politically, with 16 Democrats joining in to approve the Israel funds.
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Israeli army armored personnel carrier on the way to the
Gaza Strip during fighting between Israel and Hamas File Photo
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Pro-Palestinian sentiment has been making it increasingly unsafe for supporters of Israel. Jewish students at Cooper Union in Manhattan's East Village had to be locked inside the library while Pro-Palestine protesters banged on the windows and doors. At Cornell, a student was arrested after threatening to kill the college's Jewish students and "shoot up" the university's kosher dining hall. Demonstrators shut down the Brooklyn Bridge in a massive anti-Israel rally, while the New York Police Department warned Jews to stay home during their recognition of the Shabbos day of rest. Thousands descended on Washington for a rally chanting, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," a mantra seen as a call to attack Jews. The protestors wore black and white keffiyehs, a traditional scarf of Middle Eastern men, as an enormous Palestinian flag was unfurled along Pennsylvania Avenue.
Those in the anti-Israel camp blame its leaders for the horrific conditions in Gaza, a land that was ceded to the Palestinians in 1994 as part of the Oslo Accords. Hamas took governing control of the strip and its 2.3 million people and fell under criticism for militant activities that funneled foreign aid to combat rather than taking care of the population. Israel, the target of frequent missile launches from Gaza, has been blamed for controlling the resources of the strip and contributing to the poverty of the inhabitants. A Gaza free of militant rule, many argue, will allow it to flourish just as Israel has with its diverse population.
The Biden administration, with a war in Ukraine, China flexing its military muscle, and the Middle East erupting in conflict, dispatched Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Iraq for a meeting with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Baghdad. He's also made trips to Israel, Turkey, and Jordan and had a sit-down with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank in frenetic efforts to bring peace to the region. At home, protestors are disrupting Congress, where pledges to support the country's long-time ally, Israel, are countered by representatives firmly on the Palestinian side. In a country suffering from the worst inflation in generations, crime waves sweeping across major cities, millions of illegal migrants streaming across the border, and an unfathomable $33.7 trillion national debt, many fear the Middle East turmoil will be the final straw that sends America into a crippling economic recession.