On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas fighters launched a surprise terrorist attack against Israel. Israel has since responded with a “complete siege” of Gaza, and essential supplies for its 2.3 million residents are running low. Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine rages on, now advancing into fortified Crimea, and Chinese threats of an invasion of Taiwan appear increasingly foreboding.
Amidst all of these top-priority global threats, Straight Arrow News contributor Ruben Navarrette warns that Republican presidential candidates are inexperienced and underqualified in foreign policy and cannot be trusted to lead America through this dangerous new age. But former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley stands out as the lone exception.
One unexpected consequence of the savage assault on Israel by Hamas militants on October 7, a cowardly sneak attack that killed at least 700 Israelis and resulted in hundreds more being injured, and at least 150 Israelis being kidnapped, is that Americans learned an important lesson: The Republican Party is not ready to lead a world that seems to get more dangerous by the day.
First, the facts on the ground. Our one true friend in the Middle East, Israel, is living a nightmare. Palestinian terrorists fired more than 2,200 rockets into much of the country, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Families headed to bomb shelters and safe rooms in their homes, where some stayed without food, water or electricity for many hours until Israeli soldiers arrived to save them. Armed militants breached Israel’s protective barriers and entered the homes of Israeli citizens, killing soldiers and civilians alike. Some of the dead, injured, and captured are U.S. citizens. The State Department confirms Israel has declared war on Hamas. And it will be a long war, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
So what does all this have to do with the Republican Party here in the United States? Well, quite a bit, actually. First, the attack on Israel, one of the most fortified and protected countries on the planet, should put to rest the nonsense you hear from Republicans who insist that there is a magical border barrier that would be high enough, deep enough, and wide enough to keep out someone who was determined to get in. You don’t say — how has that worked out for Israel? The terrorists managed to literally paraglide across the border.
