Babies were slaughtered. Women were raped and killed. Families were gunned down in their cars.
The hideous images, rising death tolls, and tales of barbarism remind us of the callous cruelty people can inflict on one another. In moments like this, we should come together with a single voice that cries for the slaughtered and rails against evil.
The evil, though, is here, among us, in our wretched politics. Before the bodies were cold, Republicans in Washington looked to blame President Biden for Hamas’ unconscionable raid. “This is what happens when @POTUS presents weakness on the world stage,” former vice president Mike Pence said, without specifying what that weakness may be.
The far left isn’t any better. Its supporters took to the streets to back sovereignty for the Palestinians while sending the message — intended or not — that butchery is a fine tactic in the rightful struggle for peace. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich), herself of Palestinian heritage, called Israel an “apartheid regime” in a statement met with harsh criticism.
Tlaib wants us to look at the region’s history instead of the unspeakable crimes.
No.
The Israeli-Palestinian strife does not justify terrorism.
That should have been the simple message from the start.
The American political response immediately --- as in, the day of the attack- --- went from denouncing terrorism to casting blame in an effort to pile up political points. The debate has now turned to whether Israel’s Gaza response is too harsh, leading to another round of finger-pointing that takes energy away from trying to stop the terrible bloodshed on both sides.
Here in Ohio, there hasn’t been the type of political backbiting, at least not publicly, you see in Washington.
But there’s still no united front.
On Oct. 7, Ohio Democrats released a statement condemning the assault. Several Republican leaders did the same, and Gov. DeWine ordered flags flown at half-staff.
That’s nice, but it would have been better if Ohio lawmakers put out a joint, bipartisan statement that made clear everyone stands together and that humanity outweighs politics.
Nope.
People in the Miami Valley know those who can’t get out of Israel as the fighting rages. They wonder if their friends and family will live through this carnage. They wonder about the long-term trauma of being caught in the crossfire. They wonder how they’ll deal with what they’ve seen.
Politicians worry about those issues, too, and will do their best to funnel help. But those efforts get overshadowed whenever one opens his or her mouth on cable television. Republicans bash Biden; Democrats bash Republicans.
There’s another far bigger issue at play. Anytime the Middle East erupts, the chance of a broader conflict escalates. The complicated geopolitics — which country will back which side, will powers stay on the sidelines — means one stray shell, or imprudent remark, or threatened alliance inches us closer to WWIII, a prospect that should make us all shudder.
A situation as complicated and dangerous as this demands that if politicians — I’ve stopped calling them leaders — can’t get on the same page, they should simply shut up. They’re not helping by flocking to their favorite biased media outlet and spewing nonsense that appeals to a small but vocal group of supporters.
There’s no justification for terrorism, and that should have been the only message from the start. Instead, we have politics as usual. That won’t help anyone as the situation in the Middle East deteriorates.
Ray Marcano’s column appears on these pages each Sunday. He can be reached at raymarcanoddn@gmail.com.
About the Author