By Mark W. Fowler

“Israel was not created to disappear — Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and the home of the brave.” —President John. F. Kennedy

The present war between Hamas and Israel is a modern echo of centuries of tension between Arabs and Jews. Elements of the Democrat Party and much of the mainstream media now indirectly support Hamas in the present conflict. Although popular, this is misguided. Hamas initiated this conflict by slaughtering, raping, and mutilating Jewish Israelites. The actual count of victims was complicated by the fact that bodies were mutilated and parts scattered. In addition, Hamas took over 250 hostages including women, children, and the elderly. Many of those have not been released, and some have died or were killed. Israel has responded with vigor and violence toward the announced goal of eliminating Hamas.

The 1,200 Israelite victims amount to the proportional equivalent of tens of thousands of Americans. The number of Palestinian victims is proportionally larger. The Biden administration, ever feckless and ever engaged in moral preening, has expressed its dissatisfaction with Israel’s conduct of the war and Benjamin Netanyahu’s continued presence in power. It is as though Israel is defeating an invader with too much zeal. This is the moral equivalent of Britain objecting to America’s war effort in the Pacific in the Second World War and Roosevelt’s conduct of it.

The Middle East conflict is ancient and intractable. The phrase “From the river to the sea” is code for the complete elimination of the Jewish state. Israel faces this torrent of hatred every day. The political history is agonizingly complicated. Nevertheless, the United States should stand with Israel for these reasons:

Israel is the only democratic government in the region. Hamas came to power in 2007, and no elections have been held since. For decades, Palestinian forces have launched rockets into Israel, requiring Israel to build and maintain expensive defenses, air raid shelters, and the Iron Dome system. Much of the foreign aid sent to the Palestinians has been diverted by Hamas to making rockets, building a tunnel system, and arming soldiers. Tunnels are built under hospitals and schools for the purpose of hiding Hamas fighters behind Palestinian civilians.

There has never been a Palestinian state. For centuries, “Palestine” was part of the Ottoman Empire. The turmoil of the First World War, the revolution in the Soviet Union, and a growing Zionist movement led to support among the Allies, especially the British, to establish a “National Home” for international Jewry. During the evolution of creating this “National Home,” participants attempted to protect the rights of Palestinians. It was inevitable the Palestinians would be displaced by the immigration of Jews to the region. Efforts by the Arab nations to support the Palestinians or to relocate them have been meager and largely unsuccessful.

In the meantime, Israel has prospered since its recognition in 1948. It has a vigorous agricultural sector and has been the home of many technical developments, including foundational work in instant messaging, cellphones, computer chips, flash drives, and other innovations. Both Arabs and Jews are member of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. In short, Israel is a valuable member of the world community. This is not to diminish the value of the lives of the Palestinians or their suffering. At some point, both sides will have to come to a means of living together.

It is true that the Palestinians were displaced by the Jewish people moving in, but that uncomfortable historical fact is not likely to change anytime soon. The world community should support peace in the region by pressuring Hamas. Hamas could end the war tomorrow by releasing the hostages and ceasing hostilities. It is Hamas, not Israel, that lit the fuse of the latest explosion of violence. It is Hamas that continues to fan the flames.

There is one more point to be made. Prior to the beginning of the Second World War, there were 9.5 million Jews worldwide. After the war, there were 3.5 million. Six million Jews, or two-thirds of the Jewish population, were killed by Nazi Germany. Jews refer to this as the Shoah — Americans call it the Holocaust — and it was the most horrific example of widespread evil and murder in human history. This fact, standing alone, justifies giving Israel its own homeland and supporting it in its struggle to survive.

Mark W. Fowler is a board-certified physician and former attorney. He can be reached at [email protected].