Despite various ceasefires and the release of the remaining hostages, the resulting war has never wholly ceased.
asserted
war → remain → hostages
Fighting between Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah continues to varying degrees.
asserted
Fighting → continue → degrees
And now we have the distinct but nonetheless interconnected Iran War.
asserted
we → have → War
I wish there was something I could say to ease the continuing pain of the victims of the attack and their families.
uncertain
I → wish → attack
Still, over the past three years I have written pieces on various aspects of the conflict and the reaction to it in the West, that may be of interest.
uncertain
that → write → interest
I have included links to pieces about the Iran War, because that conflict is connected in various ways to October 7, even if also distinct.
asserted
conflict → include → October
I hold a somewhat unusual combination of views on the conflict, one likely to annoy some on both the right and left, and both critics and supporters of Israel.
asserted
I → hold → Israel
Yet I nonetheless believe Israel has every right to seek the elimination of Hamas and deal a decisive defeat to its other adversaries, as well.
asserted
Israel → believe → adversaries
I agree with many, though certainly not all of the points, made in this recent interview by Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, both in his support of Israel's right to defend itself, and in his condemnation of the present Israeli government (including its treatment of West Bank Palestinians).
asserted
I → agree → Palestinians
A small anecdote can help illustrate the point.
asserted
anecdote → help → point
I have visited Israel several times, and even been a visiting professor there.
asserted
I → visit → Israel
One of my acquaintances there is Arab Israeli legal academic Mohammed Wattad; since we first met in 2016, he has become the president of one of the country's major universities.
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he → meet → universities
Can you imagine a Jew leading any major institution under the rule of Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, or even the Palestinian Authority?
asserted
Jew → imagine → Hamas
The question answers itself.
asserted
question → answer → itself
Indeed, a Jew probably could not even remain alive for long under most of these regimes.
uncertain
Jew → remain → regimes
Hamas and Hezbollah are severely repressive even towards Arab Muslims who dare dissent from the rulers' quasi-medieval theocracy.
asserted
who → dare → theocracy
Iran, of course, represses Muslim dissenters, as well, as we saw earlier this year, when the regime slaughtered thousands of protestors.
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regime → repress → protestors
As Wattad will likely remind me next time we talk, Arabs face considerable discrimination in Israel.
asserted
Arabs → remind → Israel
That is wrong, and deserves condemnation.
asserted
That → deserve → condemnation
Arabs under Israeli rule not only have more rights than ethnic and religious minorities under the control of Israel's enemies; they even have more rights than do Arab (or Iranian) Muslims under the latter regimes.
asserted
Muslims → have → regimes
Things are worse for West Bank Palestinians than Arab Israelis, on which see my recent post here.
asserted
Things → see → post
But even they are unlikely to be better off with a Hamas victory that would put them under the rule of a brutal theocratic dictatorship.
asserted
that → put → dictatorship
In any conflict, I prefer the victory of the side that better approximates liberal democratic values - at least in situations where there is a meaningful difference between the two.
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that → prefer → two
In this case, there is no question that side is Israel, even as we should also recognize Israel's very real flaws.
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we → be → flaws
For convenience, I have put them in chronological order, and divided them into one section on the war itself, one on the related Iran War, and one on the Western reaction, including resulting protest movements.
asserted
I → put → movements
Except where otherwise noted, all of these writings are posts published here on the Volokh Conspiracy blog:
Writings on the War and Related Issues
"Those Who Support Israel Against Hamas Should also Back Ukraine Against Russia," Oct. 12, 2023.
asserted
Who → note → Russia
The post is primarily directed at right-wingers who back Israel, but not Ukraine.
asserted
who → direct → Israel
But most of the points it makes apply equally to leftists who hold the exact opposite combination of views.
asserted
who → make → views
That latter group has become more significant since I wrote this post.
asserted
I → become → post
"Hamas Attack Should Teach Us the Folly of Hostage Deals with Terrorists,"Oct. 17, 2023.
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Attack → teach → Terrorists,"Oct
It may seem like only a cruel and heartless person could possibly oppose deals that release hostages.
uncertain
that → seem → hostages
But, as I point out in the piece, such deals incentivize further terrorism and hostage taking.
asserted
deals → point → terrorism
The October 7 attack itself was masterminded by Yahya Sinwar, a Hamas leader released in the 2011 Shalit deal, in which the Israelis released some 1200 terrorists in exchange for one soldier captured by Hamas.
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Israelis → mastermind → Hamas
I was one of the few critics of the Shalit deal at the time it happened.
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it → happen → time
Things turned out much worse than even I expected.
asserted
I → turn → ?
Granting refuge to Palestinian civilians who wish to flee the war and Hamas's repressive rule is both a moral imperative, and a way to make it easier for Israel to crush Hamas.
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Israel → grant → Hamas
For somewhat different reasons, this view is fiercely opposed by a combination of Western right-wingers, far leftists, and supporters of Palestinian nationalism.
asserted
view → oppose → nationalism
This combination of opponents actually increases my confidence that it is right.
asserted
it → increase → confidence
Interestingly, this is an issue where I find myself largely in agreement with my much more conservative colleague and co-blogger Eugene Kontorovich.
asserted
I → find → colleague
"Biden is Right to Grant Temporary Refuge to Palestinian Migrants Already in US, but Should go Further," Feb. 15, 2024.
asserted
Biden → grant → US
…and 34 more, not listed.
The Aporia
