Standing With Israel Means Standing Against Inhumanity

As for the progressive Left, it is now dead to me

A family grieving for loved ones slain by Hamas at the Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

The weeks since the October 7 massacre in Israel have been a time of great clarification. And while the Israel-Palestine situation has always seemed complex, it is important to underscore some simple and important truths:

• The October 7 massacre by Hamas was unprovoked, and may have been the result of ulterior motives. Even on its own, the October 7 attack, which included cold-blooded murders, kidnappings, rapes, and the public desecration of corpses, was an orgy of depravity, regardless of whether or not there was any sort of provocation on Israel’s part. But there is speculation in some circles that Hamas may have carried out these atrocities for the purpose of derailing peace talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which, if true, would make an already-unconscionable attack exponentially more nihilistic (which is saying a lot).
• Standing with Israel, of course, doesn’t preclude holding its leaders accountable, questioning the appropriateness of their responses to the events of October 7, nor considering them infallible in their management of Israel’s relationship with Gaza and the West Bank. After all, they are just politicians, and as such are prone to the errors of judgement that come with being human. Nevertheless…