The Cost of War
As I advance in my candidacy for President, I am developing a ‘what if’ perspective. What if I was in the situation room, faced with decisions about the recent events in Israel?
First, the images and accounts of brutality used by Hamas terrorists during their assault on Israel are revolting. They reach the depths of human depravity. Around the world, there is moral outrage.
Hamas has a nihilist view that seeks the death of Jews and an end to the Israeli State. Comparisons to its attack on innocent lives, justifiably, have been made to the 9-11 terrorist attacks, both in scope and intent. With more than 1,100 deaths resulting, the Hamas onslaught claimed more Israeli lives than any event since the Holocaust.
At least 25 American lives were lost in the Hamas attack, too, and other Americans are missing. The death toll may rise, or Americans may be among those captive to Hamas fighters.
Israel promptly declared war on Hamas in response to the atrocities and commenced plans for military action in Gaza, a narrow strip of Palestinian-inhabited land along the Mediterranean coast and Egypt’s northern border. Israel’s stated objectives are to liberate more than 100 hostages and annihilate Hamas.
President Biden issued strong support for Israel and its right to defend itself from terror. The United States has provided its ally with munitions and marshaled armed forces to the region as a strong demonstration of support for its ally and to deter additional attacks on Israel.
With this I agree. I am weighed heavily, though, with the gravity of the situation and the range of potential outcomes to Israel’s counter actions. The longstanding American-Israeli relationship is valuable, but that relationship and other international relationships stand to be greatly impacted by war.
I do not have the benefit of intelligence briefings. There is much I don’t know about the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and its military readiness. I know Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system was compromised by the Hamas rocket attack, and Israeli artillery stockpiles previously were diminished due to its supplying Azerbaijan’s recent offensive against ethnic Armenians. Israel has activated more than 300,000 reservists to supplement the IDF, which is intended to in provide increased security for Israeli citizens and might to military offensives. I hope their training keeps them, and noncombatants, from harm in the high-pressure situation they face.
In addition to replenishing Israel’s defense inventories, the United States has pledged enhanced intelligence and strategic guidance for the IDF. With this, I agree, though mindful that U.S. conventional weapon inventories have been reduced by its recent support for Ukraine. I am also keenly aware that America has had an active military presence in this region throughout much of this young century, with outcomes that have been below its objectives. The region is a mix of rich oil nations and subservient lands, often overrun by terrorists and/or controlled by other bad actors. The circumstances do not bode well for a swift and complete exercise of Israel’s mission to liberate captives and eliminate Hamas.
Israel has besieged Gaza, an area roughly half the size of New York City with a population of more than 2 million people, and has urged the immediate evacuation of its residents from the northern region. Even before the war, by all accounts, under the political rule of Hamas for the past 15 years, Gaza is not a place of ease.
Walled shut on three sides, Gaza’s fourth border is the Mediterranean Sea. It has been cut off of food, fuel, supplies, and electricity. It has already received military shelling, resulting in loss of infrastructure and nearly 1,000 deaths. Its majority population, which had no part in the Hamas attack, has no escape. It has no defense against IDF artillery or an expected ground offensive to free the hostages and eradicate Hamas.
For the fate of millions of Gaza inhabitants, enclosed in the territory with scarce food and shelter, I am anxious. What’s more, while the expectation is for Israel to observe internationally recognized rules of war, its conscripted soldiers and reservists are waging a fight against terrorists using bloodthirsty tactics in a densely populated area. Hamas will use hostages and civilians as human shields. Its fighters will dress as civilians, occupy schools, hospitals, and mosques to invite attacks on such traditional enclaves. It will employ tunnels and multistory buildings to give advantage to its attacks on Israeli soldiers. It will stop at no measure of sabotage to kill and eradicate its targets – and it will take no account of noncombatants in any of these actions.
War is hell, and it is about to grip Gaza. The horrors of the Hamas terror attack will be followed by fresh accounts of brutality. The fighting will result in the loss of innocent lives. The siege will harm Gaza’s inhabitants, because Hamas will preserve its forces at their expense. Any humanitarian relief or evacuation efforts, likewise, will be exploited.
Israel and Egypt have a peace agreement, but the regional conditions are changing. Egypt has thus far prevented Gazans from entry into its country, yet the only escape for defenseless residents, and evacuation for the wounded, would be into Egypt or Israel. To be sure, Israel is not at war with the Palestinian population of Gaza, but it doesn’t want to manage their welfare. Pressure ultimately will mount on to address the humanitarian crisis caused by the siege and fighting, which will require significant response.
As noted, surrounding states and terrorist groups may be eager to take advantage of Israel’s circumstances, or easily be drawn into the fighting. Hamas is by no means alone in seeking Israel’s demise. I worry the United States will be called to supply more than ammunition and a nearby, stable presence. If it should engage, it risks more American lives, further international escalation and further reduction of its own defenses.
I’ve read sentiments from across the United States and around the globe for Israel to avenge itself and rid the world of another terrorist group. As a presidential candidate, I desire the defeat of evil too, though I must consider the collateral expense.
There will be no winning in this combat, only loss: including lives, homes and livelihoods. International tensions will rise. Whether people support Israel or not, the tolls of war will result in new conflicts. Moral clarity is required for condemning evil, but it is also required for assessing the human cost of war, and reducing that cost by every measure.
The cost of war is not limited only to the battlefield. Yesterday, there was a rally a few blocks from my place of business. Two groups gathered to support people in the midst of danger: Israelis and Palentinians. Police ultimately were forced to use barriers to separate the sides, as emotions became strong. Today, there is a broad police presence wherever I look, with law enforcement vigilant against the so-called “Day of Rage.” Evil and terror have pervasive tentacles.
The American Solidarity Party has loudly and consistently called for peace among nations and for mutual respect among peoples. It calls equally for human respect and justice. There is no false equivalence in that position.
May this combat, and all hostility, be limited, and may the ASP be a the vanguard of promoting justice and international solidarity, so that all people may live, and thrive, in safety.
