It’s been a year since Hamas invaded Israel, and while I would like to say things have got better, they really haven’t. Despite that, I thought it would be worthwhile exploring the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good: Honestly, not much, but Israel has shown itself to be a resilient nation, both militarily and culturally. Prior to the war, Israeli society was a mess. Multiple elections were called, and politics were at a stalemate. Netanyahu, the Prime Minister and Head of State, was looking at corruption charges. The public was being rocked by controversial changes to the judicial system. All was not well in the land of Zion.
But after the invasion, everyone got in line. People enlisted by the tens of thousands, including many overseas volunteers. We see lots of nationalism done badly, the Israelis know how to do it well.
It has also been promising to see the support from Israel’s allies. The US, as always, has been leading the support with logistics, cash, weaponry, and intelligence. I personally believe that troops should be deployed, but acknowledge that is a minority opinion. Other countries have been lacking, the UK, despite having a number of citizens imprisoned as hostages, could do more.
The Bad: My mother’s partner had the best take on this, almost 10 months ago: “No matter what Israel does, they have lost the war”. This was during the ground invasion of Gaza, and today, it feels even more true today. Over the years, the Middle East was becoming more peaceful. Saudi and Qatar were liberalising, Dubai had become the hotspot for young influencers who wanted to party. Syria and Iraq weren’t doing well, but they had kicked out ISIS, and Iran was just sulking in the corner. Now, it’s all out war. Israel has invaded Gaza. It has been sending rockets into Lebanon, and they’ve been sending it back. Iran is also in the rocket game, and they may have nukes.
Regardless of what happens, there has been enough that violence and destruction that victory is impossible. A bomb may kill three terrorists, but it creates 10 more as friends and family are understandably radicalised. Peace is going to be hard to find.
The ugly: Two-fold. You can support Israel’s right to defend itself, and not be overjoyed by mass bombings. There are many Palestinians who just want to live in peace and quiet, and are instead burying those close to them. It isn’t great to see the escalation. Israel has launched a ground invasion on Lebanon. It could get worse, with militia attacks coming from Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Iran. Rockets are already flying, and there have been rumours of a naval invasion of Iran. At that point, all bets are off, and we’re looking at a WW2 level conflict in the region. Not good.
The other sad thing to see is the rise of anti-semitism. I spend too much time on X, so I see some really nasty stuff, and it has infiltrated the left and the right. It takes different forms, on the left, it is a broader, softer, more elite focussed anti-semitism. It’s protests on campus. It’s wearing the keffir at Columbia. It’s posting stuff on Instagram.
On the right while the leaders have been strong, the rank and file have been nasty. The ancient trope of Jews being global meddlers trying to destroy Western nations is back, and just as awful as ever.
Lots of people will have some hot takes on how we can solve the conflict NEXT WEEK if all goes well, but those people are lying to you, stupid, or both. Things will probably get worse before they get better, but there is still opportunities every day where we can effect change for the better.
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