By: Gregory Lyakhov
The two articles selected directly address the rising tensions in the Middle East due to the war between Hamas/Hezbollah and Israel. The full-scale Hamas/Israel war began after the Hamas terrorist organization brutally murdered and kidnapped over 1500 individuals on October 7th, 2023, at an Israeli music festival. The United States faces criticism on both sides due to the significant involvement the nation has in the war. Polls have shown that the overwhelming majority of voters will partially base their vote for a presidential candidate in the November election on policy involving the Hamas/Israel war.
This week, Israel was involved in a sizable defensive attack against the Hezbollah government, a terrorist organization designated by the United States and over 60 other nations. The attack is one of the most sophisticated operations ever conducted. Israel’s special operations team, Mossad, was responsible for organizing and carrying out the operation alongside the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Successfully, the plan eliminated or injured thousands of Hezbollah terrorists by blowing up their handheld pager devices. Virtually no civilians were harmed during the operation, showcasing a model for avoiding civilian involvement in warfare. Still, the operation received significant criticism from the media and U.S. politicians.
This weekend, Israel conducted a precision strike in Gaza, resulting in the elimination of senior Hamas terrorist commanders. The attached Al Jazeera article describes the attack as “another Israeli air strike on a school,” alleging that a large number of innocent civilians were killed or injured. The apparent purpose of this article is to frame the precision strike as “tragic [and] catastrophic [to the] humanitarian situation in Gaza.” While any number of innocent casualties is tragic, the idea that a large number of civilians died in this strike is baseless. The Palestinian health ministry records all casualties in Gaza relating to the war, yet the Hamas terrorist government regulates the organization. Why does the media have trust in a terrorist organization, particularly when Hamas exaggerated the number of civilian casualties by 40% in May of this year?
The Times Of Israel article, attached, illustrates what Al Jazeera does not. The precision strike may have targeted a school. However, the school “was not operational” and instead “[was] used by Hamas and its operatives, the IDF said.” Israel successfully neutralized senior Hamas officials through the operation; although civilian casualties were possible, Israel made every effort to minimize them. The IDF made use of satellite imagery to ensure that civilians were protected, using a precision missile with little ‘explosive’ power when compared to similar weapons. Unfortunately, Civilian deaths are inevitable; Hamas uses its people and the Hostages that remain in Gaza as a layer of protection against Israeli strikes. The same building that housed Hamas weapons and strategic equipment also housed innocent civilians, making it impossible for the Israeli forces to prevent civilian death completely. The Times of Israel makes the historical situation clear, depicting the reality of the lack of care the Hamas government has for its citizens. For Hamas, any death in the war is beneficial since there is always a finger pointed at Israel.
Recently, reports of Israel blocking 83% of food from Gaza have been spreading across the media. These bigoted remarks fail to address the one million tons of food that entered Gaza, given from Israel since the war began. The reports fail to mention the spike in population growth in the Gaza Strip between 2015 and 2023. Hamas was caught multiple times Hamas stealing humanitarian aid intended for the people of Gaza, as verified by U.S. intelligence. Over 23% of residents in Gaza are obese and overweight; despite the clear evidence that there is absolutely no famine going on in Gaza, biased media reports choose to claim there is a famine and Israel is at fault for it. The public must not trust media outlets like Al Jazeera to report on any news if the bias is widespread and prominent, as it is today.
While it may seem that the Middle Eastern situation is not affecting the United States election, I believe otherwise. Almost half of the Democratic representatives boycotted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he gave a speech in front of Congress. Top officials in the Democratic Party, like Nancy Pelosi, chose to protest against the nation Israel by not showing up to the speech. Ironically, without attending the speech, Pelosi referred to it as the “worst” ever given by a foreign leader in front of Congress. Democratic convention speaker and congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described this week’s special operation, carried out by Mossad, as inhumane and dangerous. These politicians’ comments are highly concerning; the response must only be condemnation. Israel has provided the United States with invaluable intelligence, among other support, so how can leaders who claim to seek the best interest of the USA also continually bombard such a solid ally with bigotry and hatred? Therefore, it is essential to recognize the significance of a presidential candidate inviting a bigoted politician like AOC and Nancy Pelosi to speak at the Democratic National Convention.
Voters should have the opportunity to choose between multiple candidates. Yet, many feel as if their voting choice is constrained: they are not willing to compromise their support for Israel by voting for a democratic candidate. The state of Israel is the only Jewish state in the world; it is crucial in keeping the Jewish race protected and alive. As seen in times of the Holocaust, Alhambra Decree (Spanish expulsion of Jews), and numerous pogroms the Jewish community faced before the creation of the state of Israel, Jews must have a land to prevent tragedy. Still, 101 hostages remain in Gaza under Hamas captivity, and rather than calling Israel’s strategic operation, which rightfully injured thousands of terrorists, “inhumane” leaders must call on Hamas to let the 101 hostages still live in Gaza go
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