Watching what happened in Israel over the weekend reminded me what a volatile time we are in. Apparently, nobody, not even Israel, saw it coming. Hamas launched a surprise attack on Saturday.
Now what? The news today isn’t good. Israel is calling the attack its 9/11. 700 Israelis dead. Across the Palestinian border, 300 people have died. Expect many, many more.
Hostages have been taken. Civilians. The elderly. Children.
Israel’s defense minister has ordered a complete siege of Gaza. Bombing has intensified. A relentless attack.
The United States has sent a carrier strike group into the region. President Biden has condemned the attack. Americans are among the dead.
Tom Friedman writes in today’s New York Times that this is “Israel’s worst day at war.” Not his words, but those of a reporter friend there. Besides the surprise, there is the fallout from the attack.
Friedman talks about how this could affect the war in Ukraine. Will the U.S. have to send more military support to Israel and less to Ukraine? Will this make the proposed Saudi-Israeli normalization deal impossible? Did Iran help plan the attack? So much to consider here. So many consequences.
The world seems a little less safe this morning. China. Russia. The United States doesn’t have a complete government in place. Our House of Representatives is still without a speaker. Now, a war in Israel. Yes, it’s a war. Israel has declared it so.
This part of the world has been a powder keg for a long time. Now, it seems the fuse has been lit again. This time, it won’t be a short war. No Six Day War.
Israel says it plans a full siege of the Gaza Strip. The defense minister says there will be “no electricity, no food, no fuel.”
Yes, we are a little less safe today.