By now nearly everyone who is the slightest bit interested knows all the basic facts. Hamas is a terrorist organization which has brutally run Gaza for more than a decade and has never shown mercy or understanding, or any “give” except the opportunistic kind, in their dealings with others. They are as brutal with the people they rule as they are with others and the average Gaza resident likely hates them and Israel more or less equally. On Oct 1 last year they committed one of the worst atrocities in the sorry history of anti-Semitism and its echoes are now heard not only in the Mideast but in Ukraine, Russia, and around the world. It could be a serious issue in the US Presidential campaign.

Meanwhile, in Israel there is not only continuing outrage at Hamas (which is understandable)but now a possible constitutional crisis which began over a different issue but has now become seriously involved with Hamas and the issue of Israeli hostages taken on that day last fall.

At the center of Hamas attitudes there appears to be a kind of Muslim fanaticism rarely seen elsewhere, one that makes next to no concessions and shows no quarter to anyone. At the center of Israeli attitudes, or at least policy, there is the ego of Benjamin Netanyahu which seems to include a lust for power and retaining power which equals–well, any in the US at present and most we have seen in the contemporary world(or in modern history for that matter).

This is a terrible problem for our country and would be whoever was president of the US or Secretary of State. The US is Israel’s no 1 ally and always has been as I have pointed out in earlier writings. I have said it before and I reaffirm it now. We are Israel’s ally and we are committed to her welfare and her survival and we are willing, in JFK-like language, to bear any burden and pay any price in so doing. I have always felt this way and I still do

But there is another aspect to the issue, as I just noted above. Much as I respect Israel and say that the US must defend her, i am frequently appalled by the actions and opinions of Netanyahu. And my determination that the US must defend Israel absolutely does NOT mean that we must agree with(or say that we do)every decision ever made or every action ever taken by the Israeli government, including Netanyahu’s–especially Netanyahu’s. We made no such commitment and we should not be expected to behave as if we did.

It was once the fact that Israel had wide if somewhat vague support among the US public, and, of course, particularly Jewish Americans. This usually extended into the America academic community where liberals abounded(at least in the arts and the social sciences). But time passes and things change, rightly or wrongly.

Although I have no statistics at hand I believe it would now be correct to say that the liberal support of Israel has considerably diminished as wokeness and other far-left opinions and attitudes have spread onto college campuses. Some of the most extreme of the academic far left have even indulged in language that a generation or two ago would have been condemned as anti-Semitic. (And, correctly, I think, sometimes is spoken of as such today). Meanwhile, support of Israel among American Jews remains high, but perhaps not as enthusiastic as once. This is, of course, an outsider’s opinion, but that is how it appears to one aging WASP observer.

So we have a declining support of Israel in the US and the rise of a part of the Democratic Party(its far left)which is at least doubtful of our support of the Israeli state. Some of the more radical ones are openly hostile to it. The Republicans, seldom known for support of minority rights in the past, now have an opportunity to present themselves as the opponents of anti-Semitism. And the US Government, whoever is in charge of it, is faced with some terrible choices.

Firstly, as noted, we must support Israel’s independence and right to exsist. And this means we must be opposed to the brutal and manically anti-Semiitc Hamas and its murderous leaders who have never expressed regret for the slaughter of Oct 1. At the same time we have to deal with Israel’s government run by the egoist Netanyahu who is now openly accused by his own people, of using the war to promote his own political career(and maybe keep out of jail as he has been accused of criminal activity)

Much of this has been the case for sometime and is not new. But it was pushed more to the fore in recent days by the discovery of the bodies of six young Israeli citizens who had been taken captive Oct 1 and held as hostages. They and their families had hopes of getting them back as a kind of prisoner exchange when they were all apparently murdered by their Hamas captors as Israeli troops closed in on them.

The sorrow and outrage of this, coming just at a time of hopefulness but also at a time when Netanyahu has chosen to express his stubbornness and self- serving pride again, sent thousands of his fellow citizens into the streets shouting for his resignation.

This is not the first time this has happened. It did earlier when he presented his plan(later withdrawn)to reduce the power of the Israeli Supreme Court which he perceived as a nuisance or a threat (or both). But the crowds appear(to me on cable TV news, anyway)to be larger this time. And I think the faces are angrier. And the war weariness of a battered people who have endured this misery for the better part of a year is obvious.

So what would you do if you were President? There’s no easy answer. The one big issue right now seems to be the Gaza-Egypt border where Hamas insists that no Israeli troops should be. Netanyahu insists that they be there to monitor the possible movement of weapons into the hands of Hamas. Each side pretty much says its position is non-negotiable.

You.ve likely seen maps showing this on TV news. This is the one that shows you Gaza or at least southern Gaza and where it touches Egypt. The border is also known, for reasons not entirely clear to me, “the Philadelphi” corridor(not “Philadelphia” as I and I’ll bet thousands of others originally thought). The name seems to have been chosen in recent years by the israelis but has a long history in Egypt.

Anyway, this issue was supposedly settle about 20 years ago when Israel and Egypt agreed Israel would stay out and Egypt would guarantee that no weapons were allowed across the border into Gaza. But at that time(mid 2000’s)the old Fatah party still controlled Gaza. Two or three years later Hamas took over and, of course, things changed.

The Israelis seized the border early in the current war and as a matter of wartime strategy it’s hard to blame them. But it has become a matter of serious contention now and is blocking the way to peace. It is possibly one of the reasons for the devastating and disgusting murders of the six young Israelis a few days ago. However, important the corridor may be(and it obviously could be important)to Israeli security, Netanyahu’s determination to hold onto it regardless of the cost to his own people and the Israeli hostages has led to the almost un-precedented crowds in the streets Israel has has for days now, demanding Netanyahu make concession on the corridor and/or resign. The Israeli people, many of them, now want to make concessions They are beyond hope and beyond outrage at what has happened to their young people and they are making Israel a less stable democracy(though I think democracy there is still safe–for the moment).

So, what do we do? One of the most brutal and frankly hateful enemies we’ve ever faced is Hamas, morally equivalent to the Nazis or Pol Pot(They issued “new orders” the other day which apparently are to shoot more hostages if there is any Israeli attempt to free them). There appears to be no compromising and no reasoning with them. They want Jews killed and Israel subdued if not totally eliminated. That’s one side.

On the other we have our staunch ally now run by a man whose drive for power and self-protective instincts outweigh anything else in his mind and thoughts. His morality seems to be that of the new breed of “strongmen” emerging, unfortunately, all over the world, from North Korea to Turkey to Bylorussia and Brazil–and the USA? And he too says there will be no compromise on the strip(which years ago, incidentally was “the Gaza Strip”). Is the US powerless in this?

Well, almost, but I think there might be some hope. If the President and Sec Blinken were both steadfast and understanding with Netanyahu they might get some kind of minimal concession from him on the strip. No, I don’t know what it would be and I’m sure Netanyahu and a lot of other Israelis would hate it. But look how many Israeli citizens now want some concession rather than further risk to the hostages. And consider the possible consequences if Netanyahu’s “steadfastness” leads to a list toward one man rule.

So I think it is worth an effort on the part of the Biden Administration. The Vice-President obviously should be involved for :political” reasons, both national and international. Getting Trump on board would be desirable but is likely impossible. But the effort should be made. And if Netanyahu can be brought to make even the slightest concession, then there might be hope. And the onus for not cooperating and for keeping the violence going might shift just a little more to Hamas leader Sinwar.

And if nothing can be done, then let Sinwar and Netanyahu wear the blame together, two men who hate each other but apparently without any care for the pain their hatred brings to others. This has happened before–for example Hitler and Stalin. I am not comparing Netanyahu to them(exactly)in his overall morality or leadership. But the parallels are difficult for an historian of recent centuries to overlook.

Let me close with the comment that as I have more than once mentioned, my favorite source of printed news is “The Economist,” a British publication which has been holding up the “liberal”(but not necessarily “leftist”)side in political and economic matters since 1843. It is, I think, a publication of great good judgement and run by people of good hearts and heads who know how to make the two work together.

The recent Economist has a lot in it about Sudan, another unhappy nation, but one that gets little attention in Western news. I suggest you read their 2 articles about Sudan with an eye to the fact that what happens there could well affect what I’ve been writing about—“The Mideast.” Actually, I may be back with a few comments on their wise and well considered opinions myself.