We have to stop being naive about the Israel-Hamas war

MONTREAL—Let me begin by saying I have no admiration for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or his government. From the moment he took power in 2022 with the support of extreme right-wingers, it was a recipe for disaster. And I have long been critical of Netanyahu: in 2021 I wrote, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been in office since 2009 and is an unlikely role model for a modern democracy. Recent charges of fraud and breach of trust, and his persistent machinations to stay in power over four elections in two years don’t reflect well on him or his country.” So, I am on record calling Netanyahu a thug. But, as is the case with many Canadians, I support Israel, its right to exist, and its right to defend itself. And yet, that simple declaration will be enough for condemnations from so-called “progressives.” It is also why the Trudeau government seems absolutely incapable of hewing a consistent policy line on this conflict. One day, the prime minister tells Jewish voters “We stand with Israel.” And the next, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly is calling for a ceasefire, which would only give Hamas time to rebuild and attack again. It is understandable the government finds it difficult to straddle the fence. As pointed out by Andrew Griffith in a letter to the editor in this newspaper last November, while 13 Liberal ridings have significant Jewish populations, 114 have ridings with more than five per cent Muslim voters. But above all, in this conflict I find the binary analysis of Israel-bad and Palestine-good—especially when in this case the combatant is a terrorist group—to be tiresome, naive, and dangerous. In social media and even on or streets, there are supporters of Hamas spewing their anti-Israel invective. What many people fail—or refuse—to grasp is the global dimension of this crisis: the role of Russia and Iran in supporting Hamas. As many wise Foreign Affairs colleagues have often told me, foreign policy is about interest. Iran, which has a domestic crisis with its crackdown on internal dissent, is the key rival to Saudi Arabia in the region. The news that the Saudis were about to sign on to the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel was an existential threat to Iranian influence. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin needed a “second front” to distract the focus of the western powers from his war with Ukraine. Iran, which has been aligned with Moscow for decades, and Hamas, with whom Putin has been cultivating a relationship since 2006, were the perfect vehicles. A week before the Saudis were to sign the Abraham Accords, Hamas attacked. It made complete sense for Russia and Iran: it was in their interest. As for Hamas’ leadership, it had to know attacking Israel was a suicide mission. As part of their support, Iran and Russia have paid for immense disinformation campaigns, inundated social media, and brought massive crowds into the streets of western cities. This would be like marches in Canada supporting the Axis powers in the Second World War. Then, Lord Haw-Haw and Tokyo Rose sought to undermine Allied morale. Today, we allow Russian bots and marches for Palestine to influence us. Yet when Russian planes killed thousands of Syrians a few years ago, there was silence. Like the Russians, Netanyahu chose to pound Hamas from the air, which does not gain ground, and makes Israel look even more bloodthirsty. But war is hell, and people die. This war was begun by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. It is also a Fourth Generation War, in which the combatants are civilians. It means Hamas operatives could be anyone on the street in Gaza. During the Cold War, stories of Soviet support for western dissent and terrorist movements were written off as paranoia. Then the Berlin Wall fell, and we discovered they were true. In the current climate, we have to recognize the propaganda campaigns condemning Israel are coming from adversaries who want to destroy the West. Chief among them is a former KGB operative: Putin. We should not be naive. In Europe, we are told they are hoping for peace, but preparing for war. We should do the same. Andrew Caddell is retired from Global Affairs Canada, where he was a senior policy adviser. He previously worked as an adviser to Liberal governments. He is a town councillor in Kamouraska, Que. He can be reached at pipson52@hotmail.com. The Hill Times

We have to stop being naive about the Israel-Hamas war

In the current climate, we must recognize the propaganda campaigns condemning Israel are coming from adversaries who want to destroy the West.

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We have to stop being naive about the Israel-Hamas war

In the current climate, we must recognize the propaganda campaigns condemning Israel are coming from adversaries who want to destroy the West.

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