Israel has conducted the war it wanted in Gaza. October 7th provided the trigger to unleash weapons of mass destruction on Palestinians, with the help of the U.S. We explore its rationale and character.
This is dedicated to my group on Palestine.
A Tragedy In Five Acts
I have tried to imagine writing a script about how Israel has killed more than 39,000 people, including over 10,000 children, and displaced over 2.3 million people with the support of the U.S. while maintaining a positive, self-righteous image (The Lancet, July 2024). This does not include the estimated 180,000 missing or buried under rubble.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, for example, see Hamas and Palestinians as enemies everywhere, all at once. The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) bombs schools and universities, refugee camps, shopping areas, homes, small factories, warehouses sheltering people, streets and gathering places like mosques and hospitals under the guise of killing terrorists in self-defense. When asked by CNN for evidence of dead terrorists after recently bombing a school and killing 19 children, the IDF were unable to produce evidence (Wikipedia, The Palestinian diaspora, August, 2024)
On a cultural level, Israeli leaders remind me of Captain Ahab in Moby Dick who destroys the whaling ship, killing all members of his crew and saves Ishmael all in order to kill the whale; or Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb, Kubrick’s 1964 film classic about an American general who wants to obliterate the Soviet Union by dropping the atomic bomb; or Darth Vader, the lead villain in Star Wars, who works for the emperor and will destroy the universe in order to consolidate power.
All of these characters, in literature or film, are stand-ins for Israeli leaders and soldiers who demonstrate a high degree of sociopathy and obsessional behavior that drives them to kill anyone who gets in their way, including citizens, children, journalists, or persons flying a white flag of surrender. This is all rationalized as the acts of an enlightened Western civilization—Israel– against the darkness of Hamas and Palestinian terrorists.
As I got more deeply involved in creating my imaginary script, I realized that Israel has written its own script for over seven decades. Following are scenes constructed from real life:
Scene 1: Create an open-air prison comprised of people without rights
Make sure that Palestinians have no civil rights, and no landed national identity. Subject them to constant electronic surveillance, and prosecute them in military courts only. Control their water, electricity, garbage, building, property permits and movement. Snatch and hood their children—over 10,000 in the last decade— then take them to prison in retaliation for family members who have protested or attended meetings not approved by Israel. Place 645 fixed movement obstacles in their way; 49 checkpoints constantly staffed, 139 occasionally staffed, and 304 roadblocks, earth mounds, and road gates, all of which are closed or blocked at any time without notice (United Nations, Movement in the West Bank, August 2023), all in the name of security, primarily funded by U.S Jewish organizations.
Scene 2: Portray all Palestinians as Hamas terrorists, silence opposition
Develop a highly sophisticated social media network to portray all Palestinians as Hamas terrorists, negating their individual and cultural identities. Spend $7 million directly on social media campaigns that eliminate any reference to Israel as an apartheid state, or colonial authority, eliminate any reference to arbitrary detention and military trials with conviction rates in the neighborhood of 97%, or starving Palestinians to maintain social control (The Guardian, April 2024). Build a direct association between Hamas terrorists and Palestinian individuals living their daily life in order to kill dangerous enemies at will.
Secure the help of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) to pump millions of dollars into local elections to defeat any candidate who shows support for Palestinians or calls for a cease fire (BBC, January 2024). AIPAC, which claims to be non-partisan, recently spent $17 million to topple Representative Jamaal Bowman, D. New York; and $8 million over two months to unseat Democrat Cori Bush, Missouri, who after their efforts only trialed by 5%.
AIPAC has spent the largest amounts of money to control local elections in history. They are committed to spend an additional $100 million. This campaign of silence includes support for cutting off investments to universities and threatening Presidents and faculty who allow Palestinian protests or question the role of Israel as a state actor. All heavily influenced by the Republican Jewish Coalition, and donors.
Scene 3: Enable a security breach to legitimate counter-violence and genocide
The security breach that occurred on October 7th, resulted in Hamas killing 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 hostages. Israel had been previously known regionally for exceptional security. Government and military records show that IDF spotters, all women, were situated on the Gaza border and in fact, warned repeatedly of pending attacks. Their observations and concerns were ignored, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, probably because they were women. Had they been listened to, the massacre that occurred on October 7 might have been prevented.
The government of Netanyahu, furthermore, made monthly payments of millions of dollars transported in cash-filled suitcases to Gaza strip leaders, Hamas, through Qatari government. This was supposed to buy security and create tension with the PLO. Hamas used Israeli government money to build tunnels and buy weapons. Senior Israeli officials have provided excuses to warrant payoffs and avoided its implications. The government assumes no responsibility for funding any act of terrorism or its preparation.
For over 10 months, Netanyahu’s government has made a number of half-hearted attempts to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas. They are using hostages as political pawns to justify horrendous acts of state violence. This, in turn, enables Israel to destroy more of Gaza and the West Bank while trying to garner public support. Revenge is more of an IDF tactic then saving lives. The government denies any responsibility in the delay of securing Israeli hostages.
Scene 4: Appeal to the Emperor—U.S.—for more weapons and financing
The government of Israel is going broke fighting against terrorists everywhere, and nowhere. Israel’s bonds, which fund the government and social programs, were recently downgraded by Fitch, a financial monitoring organization. Israel, according to its Central Bank, is over $52 billion in debt since the war started. Without the U.S. supplying weapons and financing, the country is in economic trouble. Tourism, responsible for over $8.5 billion in direct revenue annually is down by an estimated 76 percent, negatively impacting over 200,000 jobs. The ship is going down, with fewer survivors than before.
Scene 5: Regional calamity and final scene
Israel has conducted cross-border killings inflaming regional governments and populations. Israeli agents were recently sent to Tehran to assassinate the lead Palestinian negotiator for peace talks, Ismail Haniyeh. His assassination was designed to delay or destroy any chance of cease fire. Over the last ten years, according to an IDF strategic advisor, Israel has killed an estimated 15 Hamas or Palestinian leaders to no avail. The strategy of extra-legal killings has not worked.
Hard liners, like Netanyahu, and government representatives, have the support of right-wing religious political groups. These representatives are refusing to negotiate for peace, and raiding Palestinian lands. They are destabilizing the entire region, uniting military and political groups that have heretofore been at odds with each other. This has only added to the insecurity of Jewish persons locally and globally.
In the last scene I imagine bodies piled up all over the stage, thus making the recollected final scene in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet seem like a picnic. No one wins, terrorism spreads, and Israel is free to kill whomever it targets, wherever. No worries, the U.S. ensures the fantasy of destroying Hamas and practice of colonizing Palestinians while the Israeli government carries on as before.