One Year Later: Chaos In The Middle East

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the 10/07 terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, which killed nearly 1,200 Israelis and launched a bloody war that has killed tens of thousands. We can mourn the horrific loss of life and honor the hopes and dreams of civilians on all sides of the conflict while seeing now more than ever that a ceasefire would be nothing but a chance for terrorists to regroup and rebuild.

One Year Later, My Reflections On 10/07 And Israel’s War For Peace

Asked over the weekend about the incursion into Israel and the Israeli deaths that prompted this war, Khalil al-Hayya, the most senior Hamas leader outside Gaza, (falsely) denied civilians were targeted and explained his rationale for the attacks:

“It was necessary to raise an alarm in the world to tell them that here there is a people who have a cause and have demands that must be met. It was a blow to Israel, the Zionist enemy.”

A year later, the Hamas-run health ministry says nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed. Now, as the war spreads to Lebanon and potentially Yemen and Iran, even more citizens stand to die. Do not let it escape you that Hamas used humanitarian assistance to build tunnels in Gaza and set up command centers in hospitals, mosques, and schools, using women and children as human shields.

Today, Hamas launched a barrage of rockets into Israel, a stern reminder that its sworn mission to eliminate Israel remains a paramount goal. Imagine if you faced rocket attacks from a bordering neighbor…you would not stand for it either. It is intolerable. A legitimate government cannot ignore it.

Ultimately, if it is my nation or your nation that survives, I choose my nation. If Hamas put down its weapons, the people of Gaza would live in peace and prosperity. If Israel put down its weapons, it would be destroyed. I don’t like violence and I don’t like civilian death, but there are worse things. Israel must persevere in this conflict and if it cannot utterly destroy Hamas, it can at least render it so impotent that it cannot be rebuilt such that a repeat 10/07 incident happens.

Hamas launched its attack knowing that Israel would respond with fierce force and hoping that this would scuttle any peace deals between Israel and other Arab nations. While a treaty with Saudi Arabia may have temporarily been delayed, the Abraham Accords will expand to more nations who see that a working relationship with Israel is far wiser than pretending the nation does not exist.

We mourn today for the 100 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, most of whom may now be dead. We mourn for the civilian lives lost in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon…precious children whose lives have been tragically cut short. But we recognize that the alternative to Israel’s war of defense is even worse. I continue to stand with Israel while praying that the people of Gaza and Lebanon will see that Hamas and Hezbollah are responsible for the violence, hatred, and economic squalor that make life so hard.