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Podcast: The war between Israel and Hamas and its unfathomable human toll
Listen: Israel is at war, caught in the worst surprise attack in half a century. Hamas’ shock terrorist attacks cut deep into Israeli territory. That psychological trauma compounds the shock for millions of Israelis that their world-class intelligence and security forces completely missed this. That’s why comparisons with the 9/11 attacks on the US are the right analogy – Israel’s weakness was, in part, a failure of imagination.
Hamas has launched a suicidal war, and Palestinians will pay dearly for it. But why did Hamas move now? In part because of their deteriorating position: blockaded by Israel and Egypt, the economy in Gaza was terrible and getting worse. Meanwhile, the geopolitics were leaving the Palestinians behind. Israel is in its strongest geopolitical position in decades and was on the verge of signing a historic peace deal with Saudi Arabia. The severity of Israel’s expected response – a ground invasion that will result in thousands of Palestinian deaths – makes that politically untenable for the Saudis now.
Avi Mayer, editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World podcast from Israel to talk about how his life, not to mention those of his fellow Israelis, has been forever changed in the past few days. He also provides a pained but unflinching take on how Israel should respond and what that response might mean for the Palestinians caught in the crosshairs.
Ian also speaks with Middle East scholar Shibley Telhami, based in the Washington DC area, about the broader geopolitical context of this latest conflict. Why did Hamas choose this moment to launch its attack and how did a burgeoning diplomatic deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia play into that decision? Also, what will happen to the 2.3 million Gazans with nowhere to go?
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Israel at war
Israel is once again at war, with fighting raging to a level not seen in half a century. As of this taping, Israel’s death toll from October 7th’s Hamas terrorist attack has risen to 1,300, with an estimated 150 people believed to be held hostage in Gaza. And so far, according to health officials there, at least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and thousands more injured. Among the Israeli—as well as international—dead from Saturday’s attack are women, children, and the elderly—many butchered in their homes by rampaging Hamas fighters. And Israeli airstrikes have targeted normally safe structures like schools, hospitals, and mosques, killing women, children, and the elderly as well.
On the show this week, Avi Mayer, editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, joins from Israel to talk about how his life, and those of his fellow Israelis, have been forever changed in the past few days. He also provides a pained but unflinching take on how Israel should respond and what that response might mean for the Palestinians caught in the crosshairs.
Then, Middle East scholar Shibley Telhami joins from the Washington DC area to talk about the broader geopolitical context of this latest conflict. Why did Hamas choose this moment to launch its attack, and how did a burgeoning diplomatic deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia play into that decision? Also, what will happen to the 2.3 million Gazans with nowhere to go?
Watch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
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Israel’s impending Gaza invasion: a moral quagmire
When you're fighting a monster, don't become one. The world is watching and wondering as Israeli troops prepare for an all-out ground assault on Gaza. Still reeling from a Hamas' horrific attack last week, there's an understandable desire among Israelis to push back hard and make Hamas pay. But what about the 2.3 million Gazan civilians caught in the crosshairs?
"I'm not sure how to say this," Avi Mayer, editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World. "Obviously the residents of Gaza are not all responsible for the actions of Hamas. I think that goes without saying, and it would be absolutely tragic if the human toll on the Palestinian side kept mounting as a result of Hamas' murderous actions. But at the end of the day, Israel needs to do what it must to keep its own people safe. That is its number one priority."