Israel attacked

A timeline with useful links

President Biden today said the United States stands with the people of Israel. Israel has the right to defend itself and our support is “rock solid”: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-763172

How the surprise attack unfolded is described here by “Al Jazeera” in detail: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/7/what-happened-in-israel-a-breakdown-of-how-the-hamas-attack-unfolded

And here is a map from the “Wall Street Journal” of where the attacks took place:

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-gaza-rockets-attack-palestinians/card/map-where-hamas-militants-are-attacking-israel-UV8YHO8AqlUVIYzsyc6x

Look closely at a larger map of this tormented region of the world and learn about the neighborhood in which our ally, Israel, sits.

The Palestinians, who have longed for their own state, live in two regions of Israel. The radical Hamas Palestinians reside in Gaza, which lays on the west coast of Israel. The Palestinian National Authority represents the Palestinians who reside in the “West Bank” which is to the east of Jerusalem and sits northwest of the Dead Sea and west of Jordan.

Israel is 300-miles long. Which is a little bit more than the distance from Tucson to Flagstaff. And Israel is roughly 85-miles wide. That width is roughly the distance from Tucson to Nogales.

A history of mutual hatreds plagues the region, fueled in part by religious differences and histories of brutal violence and cruel oppression. Iran, a Shiite Muslim nation hates Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Muslim nation, as much as it hates Israel. Iran backs Hezbollah, which is coiled to strike in Lebanon and it also backs Hamas which is at war with Israel.

Iran today praised Hamas for the attack: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/07/iran-praises-hamas-attack-israel-middle-east-00120491

Iran and Saudi Arabia, two repressive theocracies, are both itching to become nuclear powers. The fact Israel was negotiating an agreement with Saudi Arabia may have played a role in the decision to attack and foil any further discussions.

Behind all the geopolitical analysis we’ll hear in the days ahead will be great human suffering. So much death and cruelty I fear many will tune it all out. Big mistake.

Here is a first person account by an Israeli in “Waking to an attack from Hamas”: https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/waking-to-an-attack-from-hamas?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_100723&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&utm_term=tny_daily_digest&bxid=64e8271e6b809b844b0adcbf&cndid=&hasha=e29fd7a914e443f95c712355dfc1d649&hashb=896dbe4a777401acaa80d5db5cd18ea3a2cc0f2d&hashc=1f1f543da1902a8d8f5963f1dff774ab8c61664a1f2909cbd348433073ed1065&esrc=&mbid=CRMNYR012019

It appears the goal of Hamas is to kill as many Israelis as possible and to take hostages. Here is such a moment caught on video: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/07/world/middleeast/hamas-hostages-israel-video.html

Hamas claims it has enough hostages to free all Palestinian prisoners. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/7/hamas-says-it-has-enough-israeli-captives-to-free-all-palestinian-prisoners

This hostage situation may resonate with Israelis who remember the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre of Israeli athletes by Black September, a Palestinian terrorist group and the 1976 successful “Raid on Entebbe” which freed Israeli hostages. After Munich, Mossad evened the score with a number of assassinations. Here is a video detailing “Operation Thunderbolt” which freed the Israelis held at Entebbe in Uganda.

How will this present scenario play out in a world dominated by right-wing politicians who will view negotiation with terrorists as appeasement? Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government is Israel’s most far right-wing government in Israel’s history. His policies of Israeli expansion into Palestinian land and his collaboration with religious fanatics has divided the nation and the public protests has made it appear ripe for attack.

Employing the tactic of the surprise attack is a foolish strategy because nothing unites a people like being attacked. This is an ancient truth about war. Blood begets blood. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor did not end well for the people of Japan.

And as George Orwell noted in his London reports during Hitler’s bombing of the civilian populations in Britain it only stiffened the resistance of the British people. This will be true for both the Israeli people and the Palestinian people.

How will this ghastly scenario play out after Israel moves to punish Gaza is unknown.

The impact of this war on America will be great because wars always benefit political opportunists and in 2024 our nation’s political struggle will be poisoned by the futile bickering of who is at fault for this terrible struggle.

Within the GOP it has already begun. In this story Pence criticizes Trump and other GOP candidates for the isolationist streak that invites bad actors to rise up: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/07/gop-presidential-hopefuls-reaffirm-support-for-israel-following-hamas-attack-00120481

And the Republicans are blaming Biden and spreading lies as described here: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/2024-gop-presidential-contenders-blame-biden-hamas-attacks-israel-rcna119328

Pray for the dead in the Middle East.

Pray for the injured.

Here is a link to the Red Crescent which serves Muslims: https://www.ifrc.org/who-we-are/international-red-cross-and-red-crescent-movement

Here is a link to the MDA which serves Israelis: https://www.mdais.org/en

Pray for peace in the Middle East.

Question all sources of information, including this amateur. IF you wish to correct or challenge anything here share your view here:

And let us pray for our own democracy in this time of global turmoil, and peril, which will only grow more challenging.