On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” New York Times columnist David Brooks said that while he agrees with Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) comments about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he shouldn’t have said them because the Hamas strategy “is to get as many Palestinians killed as possible” in the hope that “the ensuing outrage is going to cause the international community to crack down on Israel and Israel will have to relent.” And Schumer’s comments, along with President Joe Biden’s comments about a red line with Israel, are playing into that strategy.
Brooks stated, “I agree with everything he said about Bibi Netanyahu. I still think he shouldn’t have said it. He shouldn’t have certainly…said it that way. A. It’s just not becoming to try to interfere in another democracy’s electoral process, especially if you’re a major figure in the American election.”
He continued, “Second, I worry about how it’s being received by Hamas. So Hamas’ strategy is to get as many Palestinians killed as possible and hoping that the ensuing outrage is going to cause the international community to crack down on Israel and Israel will have to relent. And they see Chuck Schumer doing that, and they think — which they already think — which is, they’re winning. And, frankly, when they see what President Biden told to Jonathan about the red line — it was a little fuzzy the way he said it, was he against a Rafah invasion, or only if the Israelis don’t really improve their humanitarian record? But if he’s against the — a Rafah — any kind of incursion into Rafah, as Benny Gantz, the defense secretary of Israel, said, when you’re fighting a fire, you can’t only fight 80% of the fire. And the hostages and a significant chunk of Hamas forces are in Rafah. And if you let them win, if you let them stay there, there will never be a two-state solution, because there will never be a two-state solution as long as Hamas is in power. And so, I mostly worry about the dynamic on the spiritual battlefield, where Hamas suddenly feels emboldened.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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