On May 14, Foreign Policy published a biweekly column featuring Scowcroft Center deputy director Matthew Kroenig and New American Engagement Initiative senior fellow Emma Ashford discussing the latest news in international affairs.
In this column, they discussed at length the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, along with the merits of sharing vaccine IP, a defense hotline between Washington and Beijing, and the plausibility of Russia’s involvement in Havana Syndrome.
First, it is mostly Israeli policies in recent years that have created the current crisis. Permitting Jewish settlers to seize land in traditionally Palestinian areas and denying basic rights to Palestinians have resulted in a situation that Human Rights Watch recently described as a form of apartheid. It seems to me the United States can and should pressure the Israeli government to improve this situation.
I’m all for improving the plight of the Palestinians. They have legitimate grievances and Israel’s policies, including the evictions of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem, have angered many. But the policies are lawful, even if controversial, so I don’t see how they “created” rocket attacks. Clearly, Hamas deserves most of the blame for the bloodshed.
