Saturday, October 7 in 2023 was a religious holiday in Israel so it was quiet. Festivals and faithful gatherings were taking place and it was a relaxed day. The brutality that followed from the attack by Hamas forces out of Gaza is hard to hear and yet some people have tried to deny how bad it was or to justify it. It was rape and murder on a scale that is sickening.
Despite the feeling that Netanyahu was responsible for the military and intelligence failure that led to to the attack, there was and is support for the attacks on Hamas as well as Hezbollah leadership. Responding to Houthi and Iranian attack also has support.
However, there are also tens of thousand in Israel seeking the end of Netanyahu's leadership over the failure to get hostages back, the lack of preparedness for the attack and for a whole host of other issues from settlements to antidemocratic changes in Israel. I have written about how polarizing Benjamin Netanyahu is in Israel.
As a democratic state, Israelis are very active in the political system and a election will turn on the future of the state. In terms of the war, a hardened position has emerged as the details of the savagery of October 7 remains as an open wound in Israel. But people are also tired of the war and the more soldiers that die fighting it will test the resolve of the government. A total military victory is unlikely in getting all the hostages back. This has been an issue in past conflicts and negotiation has been the only thing to resolve it. Back in 2006, Hezbollah seemed shocked of the Israeli response in their attack in Lebanon. They are likely feeling the same way now as leader after leader is targeted.
In Gaza, Hamas is only focused on eliminating Jews from the territory and creating a religious state where all other religions are driven out. This is in their manifesto. It does not recognize Israel and neither do its's supporters in Gaza and other parts of the world. Moreover, their charter looks to spread Muslim faith worldwide under sharia law. It should be noted that the goals of Hamas are not shared by all Palestinians. However, there is really no one in Gaza to challenge them.
October 7 is called Israel's September 11. It is gut wrenching and emotional. For Jews in Canada it has been a tough time as they and their businesses are targets of antisemitism whether they have a connection to Israel or not. The bomb threats and and other attacks have risen sharply.
For Palestinians, Lebanese and other supporters in Canada, their rage is red hot as many often have family back in the conflict areas. Not surprisingly, some believe Israel is an illegitimate state and all Jews should leave as they are colonizers. Many don't believe in a two state solution. This doesn't give much room for negotiation. The dismissal of the October 7 attack and hostages largely doesn't get answered.
So long as Hamas exists, it seems unlikely any solutions will have any permanence. Supporters who believe they can drive the Jews out and nothing seems to the dissuade them from this idea. As for Israelis, an extreme group of the religious right seem to think they have a greater Israel and look to push Palestinians out of West Bank.
Canada supports a two state solution. Extremists want their side to eliminate the other. At some point, Israel will declare the war over and try to get their hostages back. A retaliation against Iranian missiles but set ups renewed hostilities between Iran and Israel. If Iran becomes nuclear in short order, it is possible a nuclear exchange could result. It is crazy and it is possibly why Netanyahu is trying to goad the U.S and allies to go to war against Iran. It won't happen. The U.S. is too burned by Afghanistan and Iraq to gear up for an invasion of Iran.
It seemed impossible that it is a year and fighting is still be happening. But hostages are still being held by Hamas. A ceasefire will come but not so that attacks can resume on Israel. And Israel won't tolerate years of hostages being held.
For Canada, the government needs to ensure anti-Semitism is not allowed to threaten people, synagogues and businesses. There is anti-Muslim sentiment out there too but attacking Jews seems to be just too tempting for some people. Canada has been a refuge for people since the beginning. It cannot be where people wage war on one another for things that happen elsewhere. In the end, Canada will stick with its two state solution and will push for some sort of negotiation. But no one should lose sight of the fact a terrorist attack took place and hostages are being held. As long as some people dismiss this, it does nothing to resolve things.
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