Israel deserves unqualified support from the West in the war with Hamas. It is terrible that this conflict is causing so many victims on both sides.
The Palestinian Hamas attack from the Gaza Strip on Israeli cities, villages and civilians is horrific. The images of civilians and soldiers being tortured by Palestinian fighters while men stand around cheering are deeply painful.
It is extremely worrying that this attack has sparked unrest along Israel’s borders and sparked a new war in the Middle East. A war that also causes division in European countries; Pro-Palestinian groups have already demonstrated on the streets in various countries, including the Netherlands.
It is entirely right that the Netherlands, the EU and the United States have immediately expressed their support for the state of Israel. A democratic state is being brutally attacked here and indeed has every right to defend itself.
Unfortunately, hundreds of civilians have also been victims of Israel’s counterattacks on the Gaza Strip. In an ideal situation, the number of civilian casualties should be kept as low as possible. But it is clear that the Israeli army is not fully in control of the situation and does not have the luxury of reacting very carefully.
The fact that the Hamas attack was completely unforeseen by Israeli intelligence is widely seen as a major blunder. It appears that Hamas received support from countries with a military apparatus in planning and carrying out the attack. That makes it extra worrying.
An endless war lies ahead. A war between Israel supported by the United States and the rest of the West on the one hand and Palestinian groups supported by Muslim countries and possibly even countries like Russia on the other. That is a very dark prospect.
Hopefully, key world leaders will be able to work towards another solution to this conflict. However, that will not be easy because the stalemate in and around Israel has gone on for far too long.