After Israeli forces killed longtime Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar this week, President Biden said it was an opportunity for peace. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Sinwar’s death as a foregone conclusion, while adding, “The task before us is not yet complete.”
opinion columnist
LZ Granderson
LZ Granderson writes about American culture, politics, sports, and life.
There is no doubt that Sinwar, the mastermind behind Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has blood on his hands. In war, there are no clean hands. The same is true in the United States. Since we provide Israel with most of the weapons used in Gaza, we cannot escape responsibility when weapons are misused.
How to define “indiscriminate”? Here’s a simple test: Did the bomb hit a child?
UNICEF spokesman estimates 40 children have been killed every day in Gaza for more than a year, UN says More than 400,000 children displaced in Lebanon Less than a month.
While Sinwar’s death is welcome, talk of resolving grievances and making peace has fallen on deaf ears. Hang a “Mission Accomplished” banner Back in 2003, after six weeks of fighting in Iraq. It lasted for nearly a decade, claiming the lives of more than 3,000 Americans and causing billions of dollars in damage. This is a familiar pattern. The United States has taken root in Afghanistan as early as 2003 and will continue to station troops in Afghanistan until 2021.
Many world leaders throughout history have promised that war can bring peace. Yet human statistics show that war mostly begets war. Sometimes the gunfire temporarily subsides after a treaty is signed, but the conflict is often never truly over. The battle just developed.
The Cold War ended in 1989.
Conflicts with non-state actors may be more difficult to resolve. They have no hesitation in using civilians.
One of the tactics used by the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) to recruit in Iraq is to control the region’s water supply. In fact, some of the fiercest fighting against ISIS Over control of Iraq’s largest dam.
Who is ensuring that civilians in southern Lebanon have access to safe drinking water? Or in Gaza?
Consider how vulnerable hundreds of thousands of displaced children are in Lebanon, one of the driest countries in the world. Meanwhile, Gaza’s infrastructure has been reduced to rubble, tens of thousands of innocent people have been killed, and more than a million people have been displaced. “It’s a little unfortunate what’s going on there,” said Jared Kushner, a former White House adviser and Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
“Gaza’s waterfront property could be very valuable if people focus on building livelihoods,” he added.
Whose livelihood? It’s hard to imagine Palestinian livelihoods being a priority for Netanyahu or Trump, who is reportedly exploring real estate opportunities in the region. Gaza has been an open-air prison for nearly 20 years, according to the United Nations
The blockade aimed at weakening Hamas has also brought with it a reality: For nearly two decades, young men have been growing up with few options when it comes to getting an education, earning money or taking care of their families. What on earth should they do? Hamas partially fills this void in Gaza, just as Hezbollah does in Lebanon and ISIS does in Iraq. They provide a purpose – albeit a misguided one – and the death of one leader does not undo decades of trauma, radicalization and recruitment.
Americans should recognize that poverty and desperation create new conduits for criminals, in the Middle East as they do in the United States and elsewhere. Children in Gaza and Lebanon did nothing to create the situation they now face; their protection should be an international priority. Otherwise, the United States and Israel will simply create more soldiers for future conflicts.
After Sinwar’s death, A senior Hamas official said The leader’s fate “is not a deterrent but a source of inspiration for resistance fighters,” adding: “The martyrs are immortal and the cause of liberating Palestine from occupation is more alive than ever.”
We keep dropping bombs thinking we can destroy an idea, but often the consequences have the opposite effect.
Biden is right, there is a new opportunity to end this terrible war. The first was a letter sent earlier this week by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III to their Israeli counterparts, saying more humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza or weapons would be withheld.
Assistance to the displaced and injured has fallen to less than 50% of April levels.
The United States cannot stand idly by and watch as children in the region starve and pregnant women struggle to access prenatal care because of our weapons. Yes, Israel has a right to exist. The same goes for Palestinians. Netanyahu does not need to agree, but he does need to respect the parameters of continued U.S. support.
@LZgranderson