When it comes to Israel and standing by one of America’s most faithful allies, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and the Biden administration are once again talking out of both sides of their mouths.
On one hand, Shaheen says Israel’s war against Hamas is a response to the Oct. 7 attack.
“That was a terrorist attack, killed more Israelis in the country than anything since the Holocaust, just horrific. I saw some of that raw video footage taken by Hamas of the killing, raping of women sexual violence, just totally unacceptable,” Shaheen told WMUR.
“Israel had a right to defend itself. And I think that was appropriate and they need to continue to be able to defend themselves against a terrorist organization, which is what Hamas is,” Shaheen said.
But in the same interview, she condemned Israel’s response and said it shouldn’t go into Rafah to eliminate Hamas.
Is she condoning leaving Hamas alone and not being held accountable for its actions? It appears so.
Her claim that there would be devastating losses for Palestinians doesn’t take into account the misery that Hamas is already inflicting on the people in Gaza. As her fellow Democrat Sen. John Fetterman has pointed out, Hamas is responsible for this war and its casualties. They are the ones stopping humanitarian aid from reaching the people of Gaza.
In fact, the very first shipment of aid sent through the newly-reopened Erez crossing was hijacked by Hamas, as Biden’s Secretary of State Tony Blinken looked on. (Hamas eventually returned it, the administration claims.)
Why is the misery that has been perpetrated on the Gazan citizens by Hamas being blamed entirely on Israel? How about someone make Hamas accountable for their crimes?
As for a ceasefire, how about if “General Jeanne” lets the Israeli government make that call? Maybe Israel would like to see their hostages returned first and end Hamas once and for all. Hamas started this mess after the Biden administration emboldened it.
Lest we forget, we had peace in that region under President Donald Trump, and the Biden administration totally screwed that up.
And Shaheen is truly not living in reality if she believes this: Asked if a two-state solution is still possible in the current environment, Shaheen said, “The only answer has to be a separate Palestinian state. The fact that we are where we are today is because that has not happened yet.”
The fact of the matter is that there will never be peace where Hamas is in control, because its aim is to exterminate Israel. It’s right there in the chant heard from Hamas supporters around the world: “From the river to the sea…”
To understand the circumstances facing Israel, think of it this way.
Your neighbor comes in and violently rapes your wife, kills your kids, and kidnaps your parents. You call the police, and then you and your relatives go after your neighbor and demand that your parents be returned. You even use force to get them back.
That’s when your neighbors’ friends say that, yes, what the neighbor did was awful, but you are over reacting. You’re putting his property and family in danger. You should calm down and just leave your neighbor alone because his kids and wife might feel threatened.
You should just go home, and eventually if you leave your neighbor alone, he will probably return your parents. And you should probably drop off some takeout in case he’s hungry.
Sen. Shaheen and the Biden administration are the neighbors’ friends in this story. The fact that they are helping the perpetrators of antisemitic violence — and not the ones horrifically violated by the terrorists — speaks volumes.
Shame on them.
