Here are three things to know about the current situation in Israel:
-
Israel doesn’t want to cease fire
Not yet. Not when Hamas can still claim that it has won this round. Think what you want about the root causes of the disease. Think what you want about the connection, real or made up, of Hamas’ decision to escalate and Israel’s policies in East Jerusalem. In the Middle East perceptions count, and Israel cannot afford to be seen as weak, not because of Hamas (Hamas is not a real threat) but because of Iran and its allies.
In other words, Israel must make it clear to all those who entertain violent ideas that the price they will pay for their aggression is going to be high. Those who preach to Israel a “proportional response” do not understand this region’s game of power. If the response is proportional, Hamas has an incentive to relaunch a violent attack — it gains as much as it loses. If it is disproportional, Hamas would have to reconsider next time. And have no doubt: There will be next time.
-
Gaza isn’t necessarily the main story
The world is more focused on Gaza and the rockets flying, but many Israelis are more concerned about the violence in mixed Arab-Jewish cities such as Lydia and Acre. In the last couple of days, an Arab mob threatened, attacked, burned and rioted in Lydia, to the point that the city was put under emergency rule.
Why is this more concerning than Gaza? Because Gaza is there — an outside power, without much power — and Israel is here. Unlike Gazans, to which Israel said a sort-of goodbye and good-luck when it withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, Arab Israelis are fellow citizens. They are here, running hospitals, building houses, writing software, teaching at universities.
It could take a week or two to set the clock of Jewish-Arab relations a few years back.
The political and social honeymoon of recent months between Jewish and Arab Israelis — the novel situation that enables mainstream and even right-wing parties to consider a coalition with Arab parties — is fragile. It took the last two years to inch toward possible cooperation. It could take a week or two to set the clock of Jewish-Arab relations a few years back.
-
Biden eyed with suspicion
The Gaza eruption is the first test of Israel’s relations with the new U.S. administration, and many Israelis (I’d say more than half) are already feeling that the Biden team is not exactly what they have in mind when they think about a friendly administration.
For example, some Democratic activists are pointing a finger at Israel — as if its actions in Jerusalem are the detonator that prompted escalation. Most Israelis do not think that’s the case. Not all of them would be overly sympathetic to the eviction of families from Sheik Jarrah (although the eviction is mandated by the court who ruled against the Palestinian residents).
And yet, the Biden administration does not see a connection between Hamas firing rockets at Israel in response to an internal political battle. (Could you imagine Mexico bombing the United States when it feels that a U.S. court was unjust to claims of Mexican-Americans?)
The administration then continues with the call for restraint by Israel and Hamas, as if both parties share the responsibility for the escalation. “Israel does have a right to defend itself,” State Department spokesman Ned Price stated (the obvious). But after four years of Donald Trump, in which the United States deferred to Israeli policy, the Biden team seems more willing to consider intervention, which usually means pressure on Israel, the stronger party, to tame its response to belligerent attacks.
“Under Biden,” Trump tweeted, “the world is getting more violent and more unstable… and lack of support for Israel is leading to new attacks on our allies.” You might think that Trump was the worst U.S. president ever — but even the worst president ever could be right sometimes. Yes, Hamas is testing the waters. Yes, Hamas hopes that under Biden, Israel would have to be more careful. Yes, Biden’s hesitant support contributes to the notion that maybe now is the right time to be violent.
Shmuel Rosner is an Israeli columnist, editor, and researcher. He is the editor of the research and data-journalism website themadad.com and is the political editor of the Jewish Journal.
Israel Under Fire: Biden’s Test
Shmuel Rosner
Here are three things to know about the current situation in Israel:
Israel doesn’t want to cease fire
Not yet. Not when Hamas can still claim that it has won this round. Think what you want about the root causes of the disease. Think what you want about the connection, real or made up, of Hamas’ decision to escalate and Israel’s policies in East Jerusalem. In the Middle East perceptions count, and Israel cannot afford to be seen as weak, not because of Hamas (Hamas is not a real threat) but because of Iran and its allies.
In other words, Israel must make it clear to all those who entertain violent ideas that the price they will pay for their aggression is going to be high. Those who preach to Israel a “proportional response” do not understand this region’s game of power. If the response is proportional, Hamas has an incentive to relaunch a violent attack — it gains as much as it loses. If it is disproportional, Hamas would have to reconsider next time. And have no doubt: There will be next time.
Gaza isn’t necessarily the main story
The world is more focused on Gaza and the rockets flying, but many Israelis are more concerned about the violence in mixed Arab-Jewish cities such as Lydia and Acre. In the last couple of days, an Arab mob threatened, attacked, burned and rioted in Lydia, to the point that the city was put under emergency rule.
Why is this more concerning than Gaza? Because Gaza is there — an outside power, without much power — and Israel is here. Unlike Gazans, to which Israel said a sort-of goodbye and good-luck when it withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, Arab Israelis are fellow citizens. They are here, running hospitals, building houses, writing software, teaching at universities.
The political and social honeymoon of recent months between Jewish and Arab Israelis — the novel situation that enables mainstream and even right-wing parties to consider a coalition with Arab parties — is fragile. It took the last two years to inch toward possible cooperation. It could take a week or two to set the clock of Jewish-Arab relations a few years back.
Biden eyed with suspicion
The Gaza eruption is the first test of Israel’s relations with the new U.S. administration, and many Israelis (I’d say more than half) are already feeling that the Biden team is not exactly what they have in mind when they think about a friendly administration.
For example, some Democratic activists are pointing a finger at Israel — as if its actions in Jerusalem are the detonator that prompted escalation. Most Israelis do not think that’s the case. Not all of them would be overly sympathetic to the eviction of families from Sheik Jarrah (although the eviction is mandated by the court who ruled against the Palestinian residents).
And yet, the Biden administration does not see a connection between Hamas firing rockets at Israel in response to an internal political battle. (Could you imagine Mexico bombing the United States when it feels that a U.S. court was unjust to claims of Mexican-Americans?)
The administration then continues with the call for restraint by Israel and Hamas, as if both parties share the responsibility for the escalation. “Israel does have a right to defend itself,” State Department spokesman Ned Price stated (the obvious). But after four years of Donald Trump, in which the United States deferred to Israeli policy, the Biden team seems more willing to consider intervention, which usually means pressure on Israel, the stronger party, to tame its response to belligerent attacks.
“Under Biden,” Trump tweeted, “the world is getting more violent and more unstable… and lack of support for Israel is leading to new attacks on our allies.” You might think that Trump was the worst U.S. president ever — but even the worst president ever could be right sometimes. Yes, Hamas is testing the waters. Yes, Hamas hopes that under Biden, Israel would have to be more careful. Yes, Biden’s hesitant support contributes to the notion that maybe now is the right time to be violent.
Shmuel Rosner is an Israeli columnist, editor, and researcher. He is the editor of the research and data-journalism website themadad.com and is the political editor of the Jewish Journal.
Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.
Editor's Picks
Israel and the Internet Wars – A Professional Social Media Review
The Invisible Student: A Tale of Homelessness at UCLA and USC
What Ever Happened to the LA Times?
Who Are the Jews On Joe Biden’s Cabinet?
You’re Not a Bad Jewish Mom If Your Kid Wants Santa Claus to Come to Your House
No Labels: The Group Fighting for the Political Center
Latest Articles
John Ondrasik, Jonah Platt Highlight AJC, ADL Press Briefing at UCLA Hillel
Shabbat Prayer for Our College Students and Ourselves
1,400 Yizkors
Being Good is Easier to Resist than Sweezy vs New Hampshire
A Bisl Torah – Souls Connected
All the Fish in the Sea – A poem for Parsha Acharei Mot
Culture
Welcome Back, Carbs!
A Perfect Pair of Confits
‘The Enemy Beside Me’: Can the Truth of Lithuania Holocaust History Be Told in Lithuania to Lithuanians and By Lithuanians?
A History of a Pivotal Era in Palestine Wins a Top Jewish Book Prize
State Legislator Demands Federal Probe into UCLA’s Failure to Protect Pupils
Assembly member Rick Chavez Zbur said UCLA’s inaction “likely violate” Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Chancellor Block Addresses Pro-Palestinian Encampment Removal: “It Needed to Come to an End”
Block said the encampment “became a focal point for serious violence.”
Police Clear Pro-Palestinian Encampment at UCLA
More than 200 protesters were arrested during the late night raid.
The Assault: A Coordinated Attack on America’s Jews and Israel
American Jews are awakening to a new political reality concerning our changing status and position in the United States.
We Need Tactical Training to Combat Campus Antisemitism
We need on-the-ground tactical training for Jewish student activists and leaders if the Jewish community is going to push back against this madness and protect college students.
Hollywood
Spielberg Says Antisemitism Is “No Longer Lurking, But Standing Proud” Like 1930s Germany
Young Actress Juju Brener on Her “Hocus Pocus 2” Role
Behind the Scenes of “Jeopardy!” with Mayim Bialik
Podcasts
Chico Menashe: Asif: Culinary Institute of Israel, Cooking with Chutzpah and The Open Kitchen Project
Beth Lee: OMG Yummy, Exciting Flavors and Preserved Lemons
More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.