Clarity, passion and restraint in managing Mideast violence
Last week, President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin all gave speeches in the wake of the heinous attack by Hamas against Israeli civilians.
Michael Oren, Israel's former ambassador to the United States, noted that diplomats' speeches are often filled with platitudes but, beginning with the president, these speeches had a power and moral clarity that sent an unambiguous message. The United States stands with Israel and it will not sit still in the face of such depravity.
We have also heard voices, some from the president's own party, that expressed concern that Israel's blockade of Gaza and its constant bombardment of targets it believes are part of Hamas' military infrastructure are ultimately going to result in the deaths of thousands of innocent Palestinians who had nothing to do with the Hamas attacks.
Israel holds the moral high ground for the moment, but war is hell and the Israelis can quickly lose the support they have gained.
Secretary Austin noted that sometimes the most important thing that a friend can do is just show up, but a friend should also try to keep a friend from doing something regrettable.
The president stressed that Israel has the right, indeed a duty, to respond but that it must be done according to the rules of war. Secretary Blinken said that the Palestinians have a right to dignity and self-determination, and that democracies must strive for a higher standard and hold themselves to account.
Secretary Austin was more direct: "Democracies like ours are strongest and more secure when we uphold the rules of war. This is a time for resolve and not revenge."
President Biden and secretaries Blinken and Austin were most powerful when they spoke from their hearts. Secretary Blinken spoke as a Jew and a father when he described his visceral reaction to images of bullet-riddled Israeli children.
However, it was President Biden who displayed the most emotion when he met with a group of Jewish leaders. His voice rose and he pounded the lectern for emphasis as he related that when his children reached the age of 14, he would take each one individually to the Dachau concentration camp because they had to know and understand what had happened. Now, he is taking his grandchildren.
I have made the same journey, in part because my college roommate's mother, as a young girl, received a serial number tattooed on her arm there.
The president was a bit more hoarse than usual when he made his remarks. He noted he has been on the phone constantly. No one in Washington is sleeping right now.
America is at its best when - in clear, unambiguous language - it stands up for what is right. Secretary Austin warned against false equivalencies. There is no justification for terrorism. None. The fate of some 200 hostages makes this more imperative.
Israel's fury is palpable and as long as Hamas holds power in Gaza, there can be no peace. Thus, it is hard to see how this ends without horrific violence that no one wants. Israel has always hit back harder than it has been hit, hoping that would act as a deterrent, but Hamas' attack was the most deadly since the Holocaust.
President Bush tried to force Hamas from power in 2006 and failed. In the last 15 years, Israel has launched four major incursions into Gaza, but Hamas remained. Events in the coming days and weeks could set the Middle East ablaze.
This week, President Biden and his team have said all the right things with clarity and passion. Let's hope and pray that America can help Israel through the coming ordeal without either surrendering their souls or igniting a larger conflagration.
• Keith Peterson, of Lake Barrington, served 29 years as a press and cultural officer for the United States Information Agency and Department of State. He was chief editorial writer of the Daily Herald 1984-86.