Benjamin Netanyahu, the long-time Israeli prime minister, bears some responsibility for the slaughter of Israeli civilians by Hamas on October 7 and for the deaths of Arab civilians in Gaza now.
Before someone accuses of being anti-Israel or anti-Semitic, let me make it clear that I, as a Jew, fully support Israel’s right to exist and its right to defend itself against terrorist attacks. Hamas crossed a line on Oct. 7, justifying Israel’s drive to destroy that terrorist organization. I would wish that the Israeli Defense Forces were more surgical in their attacks, but I don’t know the facts on the ground that may or may not justify the IDF’s approach. Anyone who doubts Israel’s right to exist should read the history of the area: the fact that Jews have lived in that country for thousands of years, despite Christian and Moslem oppression, that the Jews who returned in the 19th and early 20th century purchased land that the Turkish owners and Arab residents considered worthless, that about 850,000 Arabs flew the new state of Israel at the urging of the Arab governments who attacked the new country, and Israel took in about 850,000 Jews who were driven out of Arab countries in the following years.
But all that does not change the facts on the ground today.
The only chance for Israel to live in peace is a two-state solution with the Muslim population seeing a chance for an improving standard of living and opportunities for their children to have an even better life. I would love it if Jews could live in peace in Judea and Samaria, or the West Bank if you prefer, as Muslims live in peace in Israel with the full rights of citizenship.
But that won’t happen while Netanyahu is in power. He has publicly stated his opposition to a two-state solution. He has undermined the Palestinian Authority, weakening its influence, and thus its ability to rule. Some members of his cabinet have their own version of “from the river to the sea” but for them it means ethnic cleansing by driving all the Muslims out of Judea and Samaria, a violation of both international and Jewish law. There have been reports that Netanyahu has either turned a blind eye or even supported the flow of millions of dollars to Hamas by Israel’s enemies that allowed that organization to build the tunnels and buy and build weapons.
It’s possible Netanyahu does all this as a way of burnishing his credentials as the person who can keep Israelis safe, thus cementing his hold in power.
Netanyahu has actually made life more dangerous for Israelis. He needs to go.
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