JORDAN REID:
This week, the United Nations confirmed a fact about the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that, frankly, we already knew: that sexual violence, including gang rape, sexualized torture and genital mutilation, it wasn’t an outlier event, it was part of the strategy. Notably, similar attacks occurred at multiple locations in a manner that suggested collusion and intent. The accounts I’ve read are too horrifying to repeat here. They will give you nightmares. They should.
You know, when this conflict began, I came out in full force as a supporter of Israel. I still support the Israeli people. I’m Jewish, and I can understand (to whatever extent a person who hasn’t lived through it can) that their retaliation isn’t about the October 7 attack in a vacuum. It’s about centuries of degradation, enslavement, displacement, centuries of fear.
But I read the stories coming out of Gaza, follow the journalists documenting the atrocities taking place there. In five months, more than 30,000 Palestinians killed, a vast number of them children. And while I can support the Israeli citizens, and do, I can’t support their leadership.
This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described his plan for peace, basically [the] total demilitarization of Gaza, with Israel controlling all entry and exit points to the strip. The problem is, [as] I see it, destroying Gaza, militarizing the peace solution, it just creates additional incentives for radicalization. They’re trying to rid Gaza of Hamas, but in the process, aren’t they creating more potential followers? If I was living in a war zone and watching my civilian friends and family dying every day at the hands of Israeli troops, I can imagine all of a sudden finding Hamas’ position, as horrifying and inhumane as it is, far more appealing than the alternative.
Oh, and speaking of Hamas, their solution for ending the war?
GHAZI HAMAD:
Israel is a country that has no place on our land. We must remove that country…
JORDAN REID:
So, on the one hand, we have Israel, unwilling to make any concessions, operating under the goal of total elimination of Hamas. And on the other hand, we have the same. I have to say, it feels to me like it’s time for the U.S. to, well, A) to stop providing Israel with munitions, given how said munitions are being used, and B) just cut it out with the hemming and hawing. And though you know, Israel should really be more careful in their approach. This is not a situation where care is being demonstrated in any direction.
You know who I think may have come up with a solution? None other than Jon Stewart.
JON STEWART:
Starting now, no preconditions, no earned trust, no partners for peace. Israel stops bombing. Hamas releases the hostages. The Arab countries, who claim Palestine is their top priority, come in and form a demilitarized zone between Israel and a free Palestinian state.
JORDAN REID:
Imagine: collaboration with a shared goal of peace. It is beyond time for the global community to step in.
Related
Jordan Reid
Author; Founding Editor, Ramshackle Glam
View Video LibraryCommentary
Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
Why interest rates will be higher for longer
Friday
Peter Zeihan
‘The worst it’s ever been’: Young Americans on democracy
Thursday
Dr. Frank Luntz
How to handle plunging US birth rate before it’s too late
Thursday
Peter Zeihan
Japan must confront reality of military threats
Wednesday
Peter Zeihan
US should stop providing arms to Israel
Mar 7
By Straight Arrow News
The atrocities of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel have been well-documented, widely reported and verified by the United Nations. Since Oct. 7, however, Israeli offensives have killed around 1.5% of Gaza’s total population and displaced almost 90% of residents. With Israel facing accusations of genocide in the wake of these events, nations around the world have begun canceling trade deals, withdrawing ambassadors, and sanctioning the Jewish state.
Straight Arrow News contributor Jordan Reid argues that the United States should cease its arms shipments to Israel. She expresses solidarity and empathy with the people of Israel but asserts that the U.S. must nonetheless cease its military support of Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
You know, when this conflict began, I came out in full force as a supporter of Israel. I still support the Israeli people. I’m Jewish, and I can understand (to whatever extent a person who hasn’t lived through it can) that their retaliation isn’t about the October 7 attack in a vacuum. It’s about centuries of degradation, enslavement, displacement…centuries of fear.
But I read the stories coming out of Gaza, follow the journalists documenting the atrocities taking place there. In five months, more than 30,000 Palestinians killed, a vast number of them children. And while I can support the Israeli citizens, and do, I can’t support their leadership.
This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described his plan for peace, basically the total demilitarization of Gaza, with Israel controlling all entry and exit points to the strip. The problem is, as I see it, destroying Gaza, militarizing the peace solution, it just creates additional incentives for radicalization. They’re trying to rid Gaza of Hamas, but in the process, aren’t they creating more potential followers?
If I was living in a war zone and watching my civilian friends and family dying every day at the hands of Israeli troops, I can imagine all of a sudden finding Hamas’ position, as horrifying and inhumane as it is, far more appealing than the alternative.
JORDAN REID:
This week, the United Nations confirmed a fact about the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that, frankly, we already knew: that sexual violence, including gang rape, sexualized torture and genital mutilation, it wasn’t an outlier event, it was part of the strategy. Notably, similar attacks occurred at multiple locations in a manner that suggested collusion and intent. The accounts I’ve read are too horrifying to repeat here. They will give you nightmares. They should.
You know, when this conflict began, I came out in full force as a supporter of Israel. I still support the Israeli people. I’m Jewish, and I can understand (to whatever extent a person who hasn’t lived through it can) that their retaliation isn’t about the October 7 attack in a vacuum. It’s about centuries of degradation, enslavement, displacement, centuries of fear.
But I read the stories coming out of Gaza, follow the journalists documenting the atrocities taking place there. In five months, more than 30,000 Palestinians killed, a vast number of them children. And while I can support the Israeli citizens, and do, I can’t support their leadership.
This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described his plan for peace, basically [the] total demilitarization of Gaza, with Israel controlling all entry and exit points to the strip. The problem is, [as] I see it, destroying Gaza, militarizing the peace solution, it just creates additional incentives for radicalization. They’re trying to rid Gaza of Hamas, but in the process, aren’t they creating more potential followers? If I was living in a war zone and watching my civilian friends and family dying every day at the hands of Israeli troops, I can imagine all of a sudden finding Hamas’ position, as horrifying and inhumane as it is, far more appealing than the alternative.
Oh, and speaking of Hamas, their solution for ending the war?
GHAZI HAMAD:
Israel is a country that has no place on our land. We must remove that country…
JORDAN REID:
So, on the one hand, we have Israel, unwilling to make any concessions, operating under the goal of total elimination of Hamas. And on the other hand, we have the same. I have to say, it feels to me like it’s time for the U.S. to, well, A) to stop providing Israel with munitions, given how said munitions are being used, and B) just cut it out with the hemming and hawing. And though you know, Israel should really be more careful in their approach. This is not a situation where care is being demonstrated in any direction.
You know who I think may have come up with a solution? None other than Jon Stewart.
JON STEWART:
Starting now, no preconditions, no earned trust, no partners for peace. Israel stops bombing. Hamas releases the hostages. The Arab countries, who claim Palestine is their top priority, come in and form a demilitarized zone between Israel and a free Palestinian state.
JORDAN REID:
Imagine: collaboration with a shared goal of peace. It is beyond time for the global community to step in.
Related
Why the Trump family is missing from court appearances
Former President Donald Trump is currently attending his Manhattan trial as a defendant facing 34 charges of falsifying business records. Despite this ongoing legal fight, sightings of his family have been rare at the proceedings. While his adult son Eric made one appearance, none of his other children, nor his third wife Melania, have been…
Thursday
Careful Left, campus protests will end up benefiting Trump
Protests against the Israel-Hamas war have flared up at universities across the United States and around the world. Some universities resorted to calling the police to break up larger protests, leading to mass arrests at places like the University of Southern California and the use of tear gas in Florida, among others. At the University…
May 2
Portraying far-left and far-right as equal in ‘Civil War’ is wrong
The movie “Civil War,” which depicts Texas and California seceding from the nation to wage war on Washington, D.C., reflects a what-if scenario fueled by memories of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. But as the presidential election looms, discussions about civil war have moved beyond theoretical debates to become a serious consideration among some voters.…
Apr 25
Why I doubt Trump will be convicted in hush money case
Donald Trump is the first former president to face trial on criminal charges. In the first of potentially four trials, Trump entered a plea of not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records. These charges stem from a $130,000 payment made to the adult actress and stripper Stormy Daniels, which aimed to keep her…
Apr 18
Political comedy has a role to play in Gaza
Political comedians in the U.S. have sometimes struggled to cover the war in Gaza, which has been defined by tremendous human suffering and high political polarization, none of which seems particularly funny. Comedian Ramy Youssef attempted to tackle some of those issues in an opening monologue of a recent “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) episode. Straight…
Apr 11
Underreported stories from each side
Biden’s Israel weapons pause won’t dent Gaza protests, organizers say
15 sources | 11% from the left
USAF
World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target
13 sources | 0% from the right
Getty Images
Latest Stories
Chinese EV-maker Zeekr is coming to the US. Will Biden’s tariff hike stop it?
Watch 1:17
Friday
Anti-oil activists try to break into Magna Carta display
Watch 1:35
Friday
Charges dropped against 211 migrants who stormed border, DA appeals
Watch 1:30
Friday
Bumble founder: Future of dating could be one AI talking to another
Watch 2:39
Friday
VA school board votes to restore Confederate names changed in 2020
Watch 2:10
Friday
Popular Opinions
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum.
Biden withholding weapons from Israel emboldens Hamas
Friday
Star Parker
Donald Trump has betrayed every conservative value
Friday
Dr. Rashad Richey
Putin’s promise of a long war might be hollow threat
Thursday
Leon Aron
Why the Trump family is missing from court appearances
Thursday
Jordan Reid