What Hamas did to Israel on Oct. 7 was monstrous. What Israel is doing to Gaza every day is monstrous. Headlines in the Press Herald spell it out: “U.N. says more than 1 in 4 people in Gaza are starving because of war,” (Dec. 23), and “Israel’s campaign among the most destructive in history, experts say,” (Dec. 21).
I know that I cannot fully comprehend the rage and anguish felt by Israelis after the Hamas attacks, but their response plays right into Hamas’ hands. Hamas did unimaginably terrible things in order to force a response that would make Israel the aggressor in the world’s eyes, and Israel complied. Israel’s response is not only morally repugnant, it is also self-defeating and doomed to failure. For every Hamas fighter killed by bombing, 20 new fighters will be recruited. There is no end to the war in sight.
This nightmare would not be possible without the support of the United States. Israel is dependent on U.S. financial and military aid, and successive governments have learned that that aid is given without conditions. The U.S. can ask, request, or even demand that Israel change its behavior, but unless it makes aid conditional on those changes, Israel is free to ignore it and act as it pleases. The U.S. must use its power and influence to stop the madness. Nothing else can do it.
David Moltz
Portland
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