US needs plan in Middle East, South Caldwell teacher writes

Increasingly, the world community calls for a cease-fire. Supporters of the Israeli cause continue to condemn Hamas and wanting the safe return of the remaining hostages they are holding. They agree a country has a right to defend itself and eradicate terrorists.

Others take the opposite view. With Palestinian children starving and the populations in refugee camps growing, there are increasing calls for better access points to allow more aid to reach the individuals suffering amid the clutches of battles and armies. Recent reports of mass graves outside hospitals in Gaza create more awareness for the suffering of the Palestinian people there.

President Joe Biden and the U.S. State Department are working for more entrance ways for greater humanitarian aid while still providing weapons and bombs to the Israeli government. His communication with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu teeters on occasion. Some of the current leaders in Israel see a winner-take-all ending while many in the world community see the need to protect innocent Palestinians from this conflict.

War creates refugees. War facilitates deaths. There definitely needs to be some kind of cooperative zone created to help food and medicine get to the individuals caught in the struggle and facing dire circumstances.

After this conflict completes itself, these zones need to be continued.

Moreover, if war crimes have been committed, there needs to be full accountability for the individuals and groups involved. Perhaps Mr. Netanyahu, or his appointee, needs to come to the United Nations in order to make his case for why the war needs to continue or how long a projected cease-fire might last.

The conflict, like any war, is a messy one. Hamas is a nasty organization fueled by Iran and other interested parties who seek the full destruction of Israel and its allies. They still hold Israeli hostages. Is it worth having another cease-fire in order to give Hamas time to return the remaining hostages and to get a powerful dose of aid to those in need who are dying daily? Yes! Create safe corridors for noncombatants. Get aid to those in need, and then, let these old enemies duke it out.

Israel will not stop its military momentum until Hamas has been defeated and the hostages are returned. Right now, there is no timetable for those objectives being accomplished. Moreover, Hamas is not sure how many hostages they continue to hold, which might mean that some have died or been moved. Israel has a right to defend itself and go after the perpetrators of the October attack. The Palestinian people, themselves, are caught between an army filled with righteous indignation and their own government. It should be remembered that the average age of a Palestinian is 25 years or younger, and they are predominantly poor. They have been getting the heck bombed out of them. Human corridors need to be established so Palestinians receive the aid they need.

The U.S. needs clearer goals and objectives in our Middle East policy. That is easier to say and a lot harder to do. On one hand, the country wants to support an ally, but we also want to take care of humanity and are uncomfortable with suffering; both from the perspective of the hostages and the Palestinian people.

Will President Biden continue to send aid to Israel? There are increasing calls in Congress for him to stop the arms shipment approved at the end of March. The goal is to send 1,800 MK-84 bombs among other weapons. Each MK-84 bomb weighs 2,000 pounds and costs $16,000 to make, according to the Pentagon. The ballpark figure for those arms alone stretches to $28 million. Such is just part of the most recent aid package. The price tag on American aid is both staggering and scary.

One of the gutsiest decisions any American president ever made came when President Truman decided to recognize the State of Israel in the late 1940s. Israel has been a powerful ally ever since. And if it is true that they have a personal destiny in the region, they will work to complete it at all costs — even if it means the total annihilation of Gaza and enemies elsewhere. But at what cost? Such is the dilemma of war.

Will the country stick with Israel or make our aid conditional as the Israelis meet certain required American targets? Every day “here”’ means more people are dying “there” on both sides. It is time for a cease fire and an honest reckoning of how this conflict might end.

In war, both combatants feel they are right and are on the right side of history. War is a terrible thing, but it can be just. We better stick with our ally, but also hold them accountable.