Hamas’s horrific, barbaric terrorist attack against Israeli civilians on October 7 compelled Israel to launch a major war against this terrorist organization in Gaza. Too many civilians have already died, and the war has no end in sight. Here, in the United States, the Israeli-Hamas conflict divided our politics, university campuses, and society, leading to the rise of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Just days after the terrorist attack, I wrote Terrorism Is Terrorism, in an attempt to reconcile the obvious need to denounce this horrific act but also find longer, sustainable solutions to this conflict. This year also revitalized other older conflicts: the Republic of Artsakh ceased to exist, falling under Azerbaijan’s control, and the civil war in Sudan wages as I write. Beyond military conflicts, Turkey, Syria, and Morocco experienced devastating earthquakes. U.S.-China relations continue to simmer, global temperatures set records, and the global democratic recession persists.  

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Last week, Hamas carried out horrific, barbaric acts of terrorism against innocent Israeli civilians, resulting in over a thousand killed, including 22 American citizens. The brutality and scale of their slaughter – including killing grandmothers and babies – was shocking. No previous injustice, prior wrong, or longstanding grievance justifies these heinous actions. Hamas launched its terrorist attacks knowing very well that Israel would retaliate, deliberately triggering more suffering for the people they claim to defend. As an act of self-defense, the democratically elected government has the responsibility to protect its citizens and the legitimate right to use force for self-defense, first and foremost against Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but also in response to other actors in the region – Hezbollah and their Iranian backers – if they try to expand the scope of this war.

In waging its military offensive, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) must abide by international law and minimize civilian casualties and civilian suffering. Hamas must do the same and stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields to protect their terrorists and military supplies.

Note: I know McFaul slightly due to the fact that his first two years here he dated a close friend of mine. I’ve seen his book lecture three times and as recently as September said hello to him on campus. I suggested to members of the pro-Hamas tent at Stanford that they try to take his class. or write to him, in the case of A_ who said she is from Angola, to check his take. Last, I said something snide and unfounded by text to a local landlord about the possibility of money laundering here. Palo Alto is 7,000 miles from Tel Aviv but the capital here makes us seem much closer. That also creates noise.