Response to Evil (October 13, 2023)
Three books and seven years ago I wrote A World in Disarray. At the time, several readers pushed back, arguing that what I had to say in the book was unduly pessimistic. In retrospect, a better criticism would have been that I wasn’t pessimistic enough.
This past week was horrible by any and every measure. President Biden (in what I thought was the strongest speech of his presidency) got it exactly right. What Hamas did was an act of sheer evil. It was terrorism – defined as the intentional killing of innocent men, women, and children by a non-state actor – pure and simple. The images and the accounts of what can only be described as barbaric violence are difficult to watch.
The reaction on several campuses and on the streets of several cities has been disappointing although not surprising. It is impossible not to be shocked and outraged by those justifying what took place. One can and arguably should raise questions about various aspects of Israeli policy over the decades and going forward, but in no way does any of what Israel has done excuse or legitimize the savage terrorism that was carried out.
There can be no allowance for such behavior. This moment, which saw the largest organized killing of Jews since the Holocaust, cries out for moral clarity, not whataboutism, much less blaming the victim. Several of the schools where the anti-Israel activism is most pronounced might want to take a good look at what they are teaching and failing to teach.
On the events themselves, I circulated a special newsletter Saturday afternoon. Nothing that has come out since then challenges the narrative that this attack was months in the planning, that it caused unimaginable loss, and that Israel’s failure to see it coming and its initial response constituted an intelligence and defense failure of the first order. Still unclear is the degree of Iranian involvement, whether the conflict will widen, and much else.
In my initial reaction to the unfolding events, I also expressed doubts about the wisdom of Israel re-occupying Gaza. Don’t get me wrong: it is essential that Israel respond, both to underscore the norm that terrorism is unacceptable and to begin the process of restoring deterrence. But it is far from clear these aims are best served by what might be termed wholesale retaliation. I believe Israel’s interests would be better served by targeted attacks on Hamas and shoring up its defenses facing Gaza. More on this can be found in what I wrote subsequently for Project Syndicate.
Israel appears to be preparing an all-out ground assault on Gaza despite such concerns. I fear doing so would likely create as many problems as it would solve. What is more certain is that whatever the military and diplomatic impact of such an action, it would not answer the question of how to contend with Palestinian nationalism in a manner consistent with either Israel’s blended Jewish and democratic identity or its security. Difficult, fundamental political choices would remain.
In a normal week I would pivot here and go on to discuss the several rings of what is the Republican leadership circus, the latest on inflation, an update on Russia’s war against Ukraine, maybe something on sports. But this week has been anything but normal, so Home & Away like our lives will just focus on this one big thing that I expect none of us will ever forget.
As you can imagine, I have been busy weighing in on these events, and here is a sampling of some of the interviews I’ve done. And feel free to share Home & Away.
Richard Haass in the news
Monday, October 9: MSNBC Morning Joe on the attacks on Israel
Tuesday, October 10: Conversation with Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway on American democracy
Tuesday, October 10: MSNBC Way Too Early on Israel-Hamas war (audio only; begins at 4:02)
Thursday, October 12: MSNBC Andrea Mitchell Reports on Israel
Friday, October 13: MSNBC Morning Joe on Hamas hostage exchanges
Articles
An Israeli Dilemma (Project Syndicate)
Check out The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens.