It is de ja vu all over again. The world is mired in yet another Middle East conflagration. It was only a few years ago when Hamas sent hundreds of rockets into almost all Israeli cities, from the south to the north. Thankfully, Israel and America’s Iron Dome system was able to neutralize most of them, but the intent to bombard the entire nation of Israel shocked many. Initially, Israel was given moral support from many Western nations and told they have every right to defend themselves. However, as predictable as day turning to night, Israel soon found herself being lectured by the UN and liberal Western leaders, including those in the United States, that they must show restraint. Their view is that restraint is the key to dealing with a terrorist entity that just literally filled the sky with rockets.
Israel, being put into an impossible position, again agreed to relent, and let Hamas effectively recover from its retaliation. Israel, understandably, wanted to put the attacks behind them and focus on growing their economy and infrastructure. However, in a not so shocking turn of events, Hamas has decided to pursue massive and widespread terror again.
The timing of this attack is interesting. Israel is on the verge of a historic peace agreement with Saudi Arabia (Iran’s primary geopolitical enemy). ‘Hamasniks’ are unsophisticated and violently religious extremists. They are funded mostly by Iran (with aid from the UN) and serve as an Iranian proxy south of Israel. There is a very good chance Iran instructed these simplistic cave dwellers to use Iran’s influx of money from the Biden Administration to savagely attack Israel. Hamas has no long-term strategic plan, no interest in peace, no goals to help their citizenry, only a desire to kill Jews. Iran is the puppet-master in this relationship, and Hamas is the illiterate, stupid, homophobic, and mindless violent puppet.
Thus, is it possible Iran is attempting to stop the Saudi peace agreement by forcing Israel into a situation in which they react violently, thereby putting Saudi Arabia in an untenable position? It certainly is possible. Iran has the money, fresh from Biden’s team, and the motivation. However, it is difficult to know for sure. But money is fungible.
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Although, there are several things we do know. Some say King Solomon was given the gift of sagacity. I believe I have also been given a measure of this gift. However, one does not need a God-given gift of wisdom to see what is happening — just a rational analysis of recent events will yield the necessary wisdom. Here is what is coming:
1. The ‘Liberal West’, including President Biden, France, England, etc., will be initially supportive of Israel and condemn terrorism.
2. This support will last a few days, as Israel takes action to end this problem once and for all. Through individual countries, as well as the UN, pressure will be brought against Israel for its asymmetrical response.
3. The UN will never support Israel, even during the worst suffering of Israeli civilians.
4. As the war continues, the most predictable, ‘blame the victim’ philosophy will come from mostly liberal institutions, including mainstream media, Hollywood, and academia.
5. In fact, in a possible record for liberal victim-shaming, within an hour of Hamas’ attack, Professor Laurence Tribe, the far-left Harvard professor, accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of causing the war to avoid being investigated for financial misappropriation. No matter what one thinks about Bibi, this is a horrible, antisemitic accusation that should be worthy of Professor Tribe being fired from Harvard. Of course, his liberal privilege will save him, yet again. For a fun thought experiment, imagine if President Trump said the very same thing, or if it was Professor Thomas Sowell at Stanford.
6. Israel will not ask any nation to help fight its battle. Instead, all Israel will ask is for the universal support it needs to take this fight to the perpetrators.
7. Unfortunately, after the first few days of outrage wears off, it will not even get this support.
8. During the war, Israel will take extraordinary precautions to avoid civilian death. However, because war is hell, and because Hamas literally, not figuratively, uses its entire population as human shields, many civilians will die.
9. The West, the UN, President Biden, and others, will blame those deaths on an overreaction by Israel, and ignore the aforementioned points.
10. Billions and billions of dollars’ worth of sophisticated weaponry from the cartoonishly poorly handled withdrawal from Afghanistan has made its way to Iran and to Hamas.
11. Finally, the milquetoast US military leadership and woke American defense structure offer very little deterrence to the enemies of America or our allies. There is absolutely no way around the fact that the United States is no longer seen as an obstacle to bad actors. Russia and Iran are basking in Biden’s leadership. The only question now is whether China will take advantage of this magical window.
George Landrith is the President of Frontiers of Freedom Institute – a public policy think tank devoted to promoting a strong national defense, free markets, individual liberty, and constitutionally limited government. Mr. Landrith is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was the Business Editor of the Virginia Journal of Law and Politics. He is admitted to the bar in Virginia and California and is also a member of the United States Supreme Court bar. As an adjunct professor at the George Mason School of Law, he taught constitutional law and appellate advocacy.
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