Seven months ago this week, Hamas broke through what was thought to be an impenetrable barrier separating Gaza from Southern Israel. The result was an earthly-version of Dante’s Inferno. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were caught totally by surprise, and Israeli troops needed more than a day to flush out the more than 3,000 Hamas terrorists who conducted the attack. By the time it was over, about 1,200 people were killed and 250 were brought back to Gaza as bargaining chips.
Israel’s ensuing war against Hamas began while Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack was still happening. In the seven months since, Gaza—which was already a terrible place to live—has turned into hell-on-earth. On May 7, Israeli forces started moving into Rafah, capturing the Rafah border crossing on the Palestinian side of the Egypt-Gaza border.
For those in Gaza braving the bombs, bullets, and shells, the top priority is survival. Esoteric questions and lessons-learned exercises will need to be kicked for another day. Even so, the war doesn’t have to stop for the soul-searching to begin. We have learned quite a lot since Oct. 7.
First, we’ve learned that the United States isn’t the beacon of universal values it so often claims to be. Before and during the war in Gaza, President Joe Biden all the way down to the State Department spokesperson have consistently stated that America is the defender of the “rules-based order.” Those who flout or break the rules will get called to the carpet and penalized for their actions.
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