ICYMI: Representative Esther Panitch Responds To The Deaths Of Kfir and Ariel Bibas.
Friday, Representative Esther Panitch, joined by several of her colleagues, took to the Well and delivered an emotional speech in response to the murder of Israeli hostages Kfir and Ariel Bibas. These young hostages were nine months and four years old when they were kidnapped into Gaza on October 7, 2023. Their father, Yarden Bibas, was released earlier this month after over 500 days in captivity.
As Rep. Panitch points out, the body of their murdered mother Shiri, was supposed to be returned with her children’s bodies. Instead, Hamas returned an unidentified body – claiming it was Shiri. An autopsy confirmed it was not Shiri, nor one of the other hostages Hamas had murdered.
Other than the despicable Jackson Hinkle, American influencers and politicians who have given aid and comfort to Hamas have largely been quiet since the news of the Bibas’ children’s murder. Many of these folks have been quiet since the world saw the terrible condition hostages such as Eli Sharabi and Or Levy were in upon their return. Why people thought Hamas would be treating these people well is beyond me, but here we are.
The temptation we all face is to look away – to ignore the shocking nature of these crimes visited upon the Israeli people (including several Americans) and hope it all goes away. But we cannot do that. We must understand the evil represented by Hamas, and the other terrorist groups at work in Gaza, and act with strength and resolve. We must continue to support and aid Israel as they decide how best to move forward.
I wish only peace for the people of Gaza. But after witnessing the grotesque hostage release spectacles with crowds cheering Hamas and jeering at emaciated Jews and coffins of dead toddlers, I fear more war is inevitable. Palestinians must reject terror as a tactic, and drive groups like Hamas from their midst.
Israel meanwhile, is left with no easy choices, as The Commentary Magazine podcast explains. BTW, there was an unsuccessful terrorist attack in Israel late last week. The current ceasefire has ended and Hamas seems intent on returning to their murderous ways.
This brings me to the war against Ukraine.
It seems to me that the Trump Administration has adopted a “land for peace” strategy in their attempt to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. It might be the sad reality of where things stand that Ukraine must relinquish territory occupied by Russian troops or face total defeat. But Trump has taken this a step further by claiming Ukraine “started the war” and if they had only “made a deal” (land for peace?) this entire bothersome episode could have been avoided.
However, land for peace hasn’t brought peace to the Middle East. Rather the conflict had raged on almost continuously since the U.N. crafted the land for peace philosophy in 1967. Why would we think giving Putin more Ukrainian land will end his imperialistic designs now? After all, Putin didn’t stop his aggression against Ukraine after seizing Crimea in 2014.
As economist Thomas Sowell said, “There are no policy solutions, only tradeoffs.” I pray the tradeoffs made in Israel and Ukraine produce positive results for those nations.
