The only news coming out of Gaza comes from Hamas or Israel. Apparently, you assume Hamas' news is true unless it has been proven false. I assume it is false. I haven't been proven wrong yet.
I think you have explained well the uneasy understanding that I suspect most non-aligned parties outside the Middle East have arrived at in looking for a reasonable solution to this tragic situation.
It would appear that the removal of both Hamas and Netanyahu is required for any forward movement to occur.
The Palestinians were handed a two state solution twenty years ago, when Israel retreated from the West Bank (expelling their own people to do so), and handed an autonomous zone to the Palestinians, in a bid for peace.
....but rather than choosing to govern themselves democratically and building a prosperous nation (which was definitely an option), the Palestinians instead held exactly ONE election, in which the death cult of Hamas won a majority of the vote, and has ever since made the number one goal of Gaza be the destruction of Israel.
What Carney et al are proposing is madness - they want a do-over, expecting that somehow the results will be different this time.
With all due respect, while you acknowledge the differences between Gaza and the West Bank, your conclusion glosses over a key point: the Palestinian Authority under Fatah followed the Oslo Accords’ initial guidelines, yet it was Israel that pulled back from the agreement.
The same PA that implements to this day a pay-to-slay program against Israelis using aid money. That's who's sitting across the table in the West Bank and yet in your mind it is Israel that is the questionable partner.
Carney expects the PA to get rid of Hamas, a task that can only be done militarily. So Carney must expect Netanyahu to allow PA fighters through Israel to engage Hamas. As in 2007, the war will be far bloodier than what is happening now. More than one million Gazans still support Hamas, a death toll that Carney must find tolerable unless, like his predecessor, he is just engaging in performative politics.
Pretty balanced opinion piece on a very unbalanced and unstable conflict. Both Hamas and the Palestine Authority have to go, both are trouble makers and corrupt to the core. As you say it’s a very complex situation and mistakes will be made by Israel, no war is fought perfectly and there are always unforeseen casualties, and of course it’s always the civilian population that suffer the most. Israel has accomplished a wondrous feat in reshaping the Middle East and other nations should thank it for that. England and France, the two countries who divided the Middle East, causing most of the turmoil we see today, are behaving in the same irresponsible and arrogant manner by recognizing a Palestinian State. Israel has been betrayed too many times by these countries to listen to them and it is rightfully going its own way. Netanyahu has accomplished a great deal and deserves credit for it. Judge him ten years from now and find that he was right all along in doing what needed to be done for Israel’s survival.
Your support for Netanyahu undermines the credibility of your other claims. We cannot ignore the culpability of the Netanyahu government for this mess.
Most credible reporting indicates that it was Netanyahu who sought to use Hamas to undermine the PA.
That suggests that he and his supporters helped to create the monster they now seek to destroy, almost without regard for the civilians whose lives are being destroyed in this purge of terrorists.
Let’s not forget, as well, that Netanyahu’s government presided over the intelligence failing that gave Hamas the room it needed to mount the heinous attack and reprehensible kidnappings it perpetrated on 7th October 2023.
I lay the blame squarely with Hamas. It was Hamas who planned this attack for years, Hamas who crossed the border to mutilate and terrorize innocent Israeli civilians, Hamas who decided hostages were there Trump card to live forever. Hamas who didn’t care about the toll it would take on Palestinian lives. Hamas, Hamas, Hamas. The intelligence failure is a whole different story, which will, no doubt, be scrutinized for years.
I’m not denying the role played by Hamas. However, it is unwise (indeed, inconceivable and irresponsible) to ignore Israel’s (Netanyahu’s) choices and strategies.
Before October 7, 2023, the Netanyahu government was on its back heels because of opposition to their efforts to jam through a revision to Israel's Basic Law that would dramatically curtail the power of the Israeli Supreme Court. There were (and are) good arguments that the court's power should be limited, but what Netanyahu and his coalition proposed was overwhelmingly unpopular and they weren't trusted. Then October 7 happened, and after nearly 2 years it's possible to forget that it was a shocking security failure on the part of Netanyahu's government, which had turned its eye and military resources towards protecting settlers in the West Bank.
If not for the immediate military crisis, Netanyahu's government should've been defeated for their immense failure and Netanyahu himself would've found himself back in the dock to face long-standing charges of corruption. Since then, Israel has had stunning successes in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran - it's overshadowed but hasn't changed the fact that Netanyahu's government is largely out of step with the Israeli public and seems to be seeking new reasons to stay in power. They're now a significant obstacle to ending the conflict.
One has to ask: how much of a surprise was the October 7th attack for Israel? Reports suggest Israeli intelligence had Hamas’s plans nearly a year in advance—yet officials dismissed them as aspirational, ignoring concrete warnings. In the months leading up to the assault, a female surveillance unit at the Gaza border spotted alarming signs: practice raids, mock hostage drills, and oddly behaving farmers. They recorded it all in WhatsApp messages, some turning into grim jokes: who would be on duty when the inevitable hit? Just days before, Egypt reportedly warned of an “imminent explosive attack,” only to be met with what sources describe as Prime Minister Netanyahu’s indifference.
The question remains: was this a catastrophic intelligence failure, bureaucratic overconfidence, or a cold calculation—that an attack could provide a casus belli, freeing Israel’s military to act unchecked in Gaza and the West Bank? The aftermath leaves a stark tension between what was known, what was ignored, and what might have been deliberately leveraged.
Reasonable discussion of the shift in tone and support. But clear that Netanyahu does not and has never supported a two-state approach. So likely he, Abbas and Hamas have to go before any real possibility.
Hamas’s decision to launch its unprecedented assault on October 7th, 2023 can be seen, in part, as the culmination of years of deepening Palestinian despair and the conviction that peaceful avenues had failed. I find violence of any kind—whether committed by a state or a militant group—abhorrent, yet it is impossible to understand this event without the broader context. Gaza has been under a strict Israeli-led blockade since 2007, severely restricting the movement of people and goods, crippling its economy, and contributing to chronic shortages of food, medicine, and electricity. For many in Gaza, the memory of the 2018–2019 Great March of Return still looms large: tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered near the border fence in largely unarmed demonstrations to demand an end to the blockade and the right of return, yet Israeli snipers killed hundreds and maimed thousands, including medics, journalists, and children. To Hamas and its supporters, these events reinforced the belief that even peaceful protest was met with lethal force, and that Israel’s long-term aim was not coexistence but the dismantling of Palestinian presence and identity. Over the years, Hamas’s existence—and periodic violence—has also been used by successive Israeli governments as a political justification for expanding settlements deep into the occupied West Bank, further fragmenting Palestinian territory and entrenching military control. Many Palestinians also view Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as emblematic of Israel’s abandonment of the peace process: in the 1990s, his fierce opposition to the Oslo Accords helped stall negotiations, and his inflammatory rhetoric during that period is widely believed to have created the political climate that enabled the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a right-wing extremist. In Hamas’s view, diplomacy and nonviolent resistance had yielded only more settlements, more restrictions, and worsening living conditions. October 7th was thus framed by Hamas as a desperate, if brutal, act of resistance against what they perceived as an implacable effort to erase their people—a claim Israel rejects, viewing the attack as unjustifiable terrorism.
I have seen similar statements when people comment about the fancy shopping mall in Ramallah in the West Bank. This is a really common point of confusion, and it comes down to understanding the differences between appearances, inequality, and the broader context of blockade and poverty.
Gaza has been under a strict blockade by Israel (and partly by Egypt) for years. This limits the flow of goods, building materials, and basic supplies. Essential infrastructure—like electricity, clean water, and healthcare—is severely constrained for most of the population.
The presence of malls, restaurants, and resorts doesn’t mean everyone in Gaza is well-off. These facilities often cater to a small wealthier segment of the population or are funded by foreign aid, family remittances from overseas, or political groups. Most Gazans live in poverty, relying on humanitarian assistance. Like many poverty ravished countries, there is always a small group with a heavy concentration of wealth.
Even under blockade, there’s a “dual economy” in Gaza. Some luxury goods or leisure businesses exist because of imported goods, smuggling tunnels, or donations. Meanwhile, most people struggle with unemployment rates over 40–50%, limited job opportunities, and high poverty rates.
Amusement parks, resorts, and shopping centers sometimes serve more as morale boosters or statements of resilience. They don’t reflect the daily reality of shortages, electricity cuts, and restricted movement. In the case of Ramallah, it is also used by groups to point out how well Palestinians do in the West Bank, however, it is just window dressing.
Seeing malls and resorts is not evidence that the majority of Gazans live comfortably. It’s like seeing luxury condos in a city that still has severe homelessness—appearance can be misleading when wealth is extremely uneven and most people face systemic hardship.
A majority of Israelis oppose a viable Palestinian state and prefer the long term maintenance of Israeli control over the Occupied Territories. A sizable, rising and apparently politically dominant minority support annexation, expansion and ethnic cleansing. I doubt in 20-30s anyone will consider Israel a western state or an ally (either culturally or diplomatically). There is far too much optimism and obfuscation in certain western intellectual circles on this point.
This is a partial explanation and justification for public sentiment in Israel - clearly this is a very complicated and bad little ethnic blood feud / conflict.
But it doesn't directly address the issue in my comment. The political trajectory Israel is on will likely result in it (justifiably) becoming an international pariah and a state which western countries do not identify with or support. Bibi is speed running the process right now, but you still need decades for the process to work itself out - both as Israel continues to radicalize and pursue "solutions" which were verboten during the Labour Zionism and Peace Process days, and for the Boomer and Gen X nostalgics to die out or become less influential in Western countries through generational turnover.
Mr. Stratton's narrative has a couple of false premises: first, this is not about land. Hamas/Gazans want the eradication of Israel as an entity and death to Jews everywhere. Listen to their murderous chants at demonstrations across Canada, Europe, the UK and the US and this time, really hear them and really believe them. Westerners have trouble with that. Second, the two-state solution will not work. Since Israel accepted the post-WWII offer -- and the Arabs in the area rejected it -- the Arabs have in fact rejected it 7 times in total. So why do you think they will accept it now? It is NOT what they want. To ignore historical facts is always dangerous and most Westerners -- including the elites in our governments and education systems -- have re-written the history of the Middle East to fit the oppressor/oppressed, colonizer/colonized framework. Young people are particularly vulnerable to simple explanations and profoundly ignorant of the facts. Israel needs to get the correct narrative out better and we Jews in the Diaspora need to continually call out the legacy media's lies, Hamas's propaganda and point up the facts. For good journalism, read Douglas Murray and for the correct history of the region, listen to Melanie Phillips.
Yes Israel has made mistakes, but it’s interesting how Israel is always expected to be perfect while the bad guys make nothing but mistakes & are the real instigators at every turn. And anyone who believes Carney’s “conditions” will be met is dreaming. Rewarding the terrorists by recognizing Palestine is shameful & sneaky by Carney when he has a minority govt & Parliament is not sitting. He makes a mockery of our so-called democracy.
You keep calling these “mistakes,” as if they’re random accidents that only happen because Israel is unfairly held to a higher standard. But the reality is that independent investigations by the UN, the ICC, and major human rights organizations have documented a sustained pattern of conduct that meets the legal definition of war crimes: deliberate or reckless attacks on civilians, aid workers, medics, and journalists; destruction of hospitals and indispensable infrastructure; and repeated shootings at starving people waiting for food. These aren’t isolated lapses in a fog of war — they’re well-established incidents with dates, places, death tolls, and credible sources. If you want to see what that pattern looks like, here’s the record.
• Oct 13, 2023 – Alma al-Chaab, South Lebanon – Israeli tank fire killed Reuters cameraman Issam Abdallah and wounded six other clearly marked journalists. Deaths/Injuries: 1 killed, 6 injured. Sources: Amnesty International; UNIFIL investigation; CPJ.
• Nov 18, 2023 – Gaza City (near Al-Shifa Hospital) – MSF evacuation convoy, pre-coordinated with the IDF, came under fire; MSF says evidence points to Israeli responsibility. Deaths/Injuries: 2 killed. Sources: MSF; HRW.
• Dec 9, 2023 – Rafah – Israeli Navy fired at an UNRWA guesthouse while staff slept; coordinates had been repeatedly provided. Deaths/Injuries: None reported. Sources: HRW.
• Jan 8, 2024 – Khan Younis (Al-Mawasi) – Projectile struck an MSF shelter housing over 100 staff/families; suspected Israeli tank shell. Deaths/Injuries: 2 killed, 7 injured. Sources: HRW.
• Jan 29–Feb 10, 2024 – Gaza City (Tel al-Hawa) – Killing of 5-year-old Hind Rajab, her family, and two PRCS paramedics sent to rescue her. Deaths/Injuries: 9 killed. Sources: Reuters; Washington Post; OHCHR.
• Feb 23, 2024 – Gaza City – Israeli strike killed four Gaza Civil Defence firefighters responding to an emergency; PRCS said their marked vehicle was later bulldozed and buried under rubble. Deaths/Injuries: 4 killed. Sources: PRCS; Al Jazeera; Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
• Feb 29, 2024 – Gaza City (Al-Rashid Street, “Flour Massacre”) – Crowd waiting for flour/aid came under Israeli fire, according to the UN. Deaths/Injuries: 118 killed, 760 injured. Sources: UN OHCHR; Reuters.
• Mar 14, 2024 – Gaza City (Kuwait Roundabout) – Crowd waiting for aid came under fire. Deaths/Injuries: 11+ killed, 100+ injured. Sources: Reuters.
• Mar 23–30, 2024 – Gaza City (Kuwait Roundabout) – Additional strikes/shootings at aid queues. Deaths/Injuries: 19–30+ killed. Sources: Al Jazeera; The New Humanitarian.
• Apr 1, 2024 – Deir al-Balah – World Central Kitchen convoy struck by three Israeli drone missiles after deconfliction. Deaths/Injuries: 7 aid workers killed (AU, UK×3, PL, US-CA, PS). Sources: Reuters; WCK; HRW.
• Feb 5, 2024 – Gaza (sea route/Nuseirat) – UNRWA convoy hit by Israeli naval fire at an agreed hold point. Deaths/Injuries: None reported. Sources: HRW.
• Mar 18–Apr 1, 2024 – Gaza City (Al-Shifa Hospital, 2nd raid) – Two-week IDF siege rendered the hospital inoperable; WHO found it “in ruins.” Deaths/Injuries: 21+ patients died. Sources: WHO; Reuters.
• Feb–Apr 2024 – Khan Younis (Nasser Hospital) & Gaza City (Al-Shifa) – Mass graves discovered after IDF withdrawals. Deaths/Injuries: “Hundreds” recovered. Sources: Reuters; Amnesty International.
• Apr 19–May 3, 2024 – Israeli custody (Ofer Prison) – Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, head of orthopedics at Al-Shifa, died in custody after months of detention. Deaths/Injuries: 1 dead. Sources: Reuters; OHCHR; HRW.
• Jul 18–27, 2024 – Rafah (Tel al-Sultan) – Canadian-funded water well/pumping site destroyed by an Israeli Army explosion. Deaths/Injuries: None reported. Sources: Reuters; Canadian media.
• Oct 2023 (multiple days) – South Lebanon – Use of white phosphorus over populated areas documented. Deaths/Injuries: Civilian injuries, property damage. Sources: Amnesty International; HRW.
• Mar 23, 2025 – Rafah (Al-Hashashin area) – Convoy of ambulances, a fire truck, and a UN vehicle responding to an airstrike came under Israeli fire; survivors say vehicles were later bulldozed and buried. Deaths/Injuries: 15 emergency/aid workers killed (8 PRCS medics, 5 Civil Defence, 1 UN staff; 1 missing). Sources: Reuters; PRCS; IFRC; Amnesty.
• Mar 31, 2025 – Rafah – Bodies of the 15 medics/rescue workers and mangled ambulances recovered from a shallow mass grave a week after the attack. Deaths/Injuries: 15 dead recovered. Sources: Reuters; UN officials.
• Apr 6–21, 2025 – Israel/OPT (follow-up on Mar 23) – IDF review found “professional failures”/breaches of orders in the killing and burial of the 15 aid workers. Sources: Reuters; Al Jazeera.
• Apr 29 & May 22, 2025 – Rafah/Jerusalem – Surviving PRCS paramedic Assad al-Nasasrah freed by Israel; detailed shootings at marked vehicles and burial of colleagues; described surviving detention/torture. Sources: Reuters.
• Jun 1–3, 2025 – Central Gaza (near Netzarim corridor) & other sites – OHCHR: militarised aid mechanism linked to repeated shootings at civilians seeking food; multiple deadly incidents for 3 days running. Deaths/Injuries: Dozens killed; many wounded. Sources: OHCHR.
• Jun 11, 2025 – Central Gaza (GHF aid site near Netzarim) – Israeli gunfire/airstrikes killed at least 41–60 Palestinians, most near a GHF aid site; hospitals report 25 shot approaching the site. Deaths/Injuries: 41–60 killed; dozens wounded. Sources: Reuters.
• Jun 17, 2025 – Khan Younis – 51 killed while waiting for aid; IDF says a crowd gathered “in proximity” to troops and expresses regret. Deaths/Injuries: 51 killed; many injured. Sources: Washington Post.
• Jun 24, 2025 – Gaza (various aid points) – UN: Over 400 Palestinians have been killed at or near aid distribution points as of June 24. Sources: UN OHCHR.
• Jul 4, 2025 – Gaza (aid sites/convoy routes) – OHCHR: 613 killings recorded at aid sites or near convoys as of June 27. Sources: Al Jazeera citing OHCHR.
• Aug 11–13, 2025 – Gaza (GHF food distribution points) – Guardian investigation and UN experts detail a pattern of gunfire at GHF-run aid points; ~1,400 deaths near aid sites since May 2025 when GHF replaced UN mechanism. Sources: The Guardian; UN experts.
Outstanding essay. Thanks Al. Your comment on October 7th and becoming a Zionist can also be justified by the rest of us today, upon watching and/or remembering how Canadian Jews have been treated in this country . I started watch Fauda again on Netflix. It mirrors the eye for an eye issue and how both Israel and Gaza have become blind. Though the foregoing reference relates to post ending of the war. I do not know how the vitriol and hatred can ever be addressed in this area of the world although those leftists were farming in Kibbutzes next to the border showed that love could survive, but they are all dead now.....
Hamas didn't come out of nowhere. Many of the commenters here don't seem to realize that. Go back to the diplomatic shenanigans that occurred during World War I when the Allies, primarily Britain and France, were planning to dismember the soon-to-be-history Ottoman Empire. Hint: Focus on "Sykes-Picot Agreement" and "Balfour Declaration." Follow the timeline forward. It includes Hitler and the genocide of Jewish people. This greatly increased pressure for a Jewish state in the Levant. This state -- Israel -- was eventually created, with virtually no input from the Palestinians who'd lived in that area for many generations.
In the run-up to the declaration of the State of Israel in May 1948, Palestinians were driven from their homes by various strategies, including terror. (Look up "Haganah" and "Irgun," etc.) What followed was caught up in the US-USSR Cold War. This was one of the few times that the Soviets had justice on their side.
Things have gotten progressively worse since then because -- wonder of wonders! -- Palestinians were every bit as angry at being dispossessed as the Native peoples of North America were at being dispossessed by Europeans.
When will we ever learn? Damned if I know. But I do recommend Langston Hughes's poem "Harlem" to anyone who's thinking about it. Don't worry: it's very short. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46548/harlem
There was no such historical 'people' as Palestinians prior to the 1960s and created by Arafat under Soviet direction! You've bought into the whole Jewish colonial settler conspiratorial narrative straight out of the Kremlin and widely promoted by anti-Zionists everywhere. The one trivial detail you overlook is that this narrative is an inversion of what is true.
It's a very strange world when an indigenous population in a tiny fraction of the Levant (you pretend to honour in the North American context) is called 'colonial' while itinerant workers drawn to the work made available by the indigenous building a country out of almost nothing fled when neighbours decided to invade. The name Judea didn't just magically appear; the area has been the home of Judaism since before cuneiform writing came to be. You pay exactly zero credit for the indigenous who remained and fought valiantly for what was finally recognized by the international community as theirs in response to a holocaust against them elsewhere. The script you follow is flipped in order to paint this resilience as 'bad', the building of a diverse liberal democracy as 'bad', defending it as 'bad, while turning those who not just fled but often did so in spite of pleadings to stay by the indigenous (also well recorded in British military records) as the real victims... not of Arab invasions which motivated those without strong roots to flee, but condemn the indigenous who stayed and won! Good grief. In your narrative, only the indigenous have agency and so they are the bad guys regardless of all other factors.
When will we ever learn? Well, surely it has to start by doing a better job at recognizing what's probably true. (I know, don't call you Shirley.)
So Tildeb, just to confirm, 750,000 people were not driven from their homes during the Nakba? That is conspiracy theory from the Russians? I don't want to argue, but definitely want to understand.
Another way to understand this, Jay, is to ask what happened to those who stayed? About 25% of Israel's population fundamentally come from these people who are Arab, Druze, Bedouin, Christian, Sumerian Orthodox, and so on. They have full citizenship. They serve in judicial and the military and hold office in the Knesset. How is this possible if the government of Israel's policy truly 'drove' non Jews from the land? The so-called Nakba - a flow of people fleeing war - was a created term used by the Soviets to establish a permanent refugee population bordering and committing never-ending war crimes against Israel. Notice how all the functioning neighbouring states have dealt with these 'refugees' today. Only Israel doesn't expel them yet only Israel is held to account for their permanent refugee status! This selective accounting borders on the ludicrous yet the Just So anti-Jewish narrative is so widely believed today that we get well meaning people supporting and excusing dedicated Islamic death cults... as long as Israel and Israelis are the target. And then all bets are off.
Isn’t it true that “Palestinian” was a legal and common term under the British Mandate, dating back to the 1925 Palestine Citizenship Order, and that Palestinian Arab newspapers, political movements, and identity existed decades before Arafat or the Soviets? And isn’t it also true that around 700,000–750,000 Palestinians were displaced in 1947–49, with many forcibly expelled, hundreds of villages destroyed, and return legally barred afterward despite UN Resolution 194 affirming their right to return or be compensated? If the exodus was purely voluntary, why did historians like Benny Morris document multiple expulsions and why do monitored broadcasts show no blanket Arab order to flee? While about 20% of Israel’s population today are Arab citizens, isn’t it also true they lived under military law until 1966 with severe restrictions and land confiscations? And finally, even if other Arab states treated refugees poorly, does that erase Israel’s legal and moral responsibility for their original dispossession and the ongoing prevention of return?
happy to be wrong, but just want to be clear in the facts
At least as many Jews were expelled from the surrounding Arab countries when Israel came into existence in 1948. Well documented but oddly, seems to be far less well known. Or cared about.
Some of the Jewish communities dated from before Roman times.
You’re correct. There were parallel refuge crises created by the same conflict and it definitely should be known and acknowledged. I think, and this is me making an assumption, is that it’s less known and, as you said, cared about today, because Israel integrated many of these refugees into its society (though often with hardship and discrimination), while Palestinian refugees were denied return and often kept in camps, leaving the refugee issue unresolved to this day.
It’s important to acknowledge ALL aspects of this conflict, and so, for my point above, while it wasn’t my point, I appreciate you making this comment and adding further information.
Arafat could have avoided much of this but he chose not to accept a two-state solution. No point crying over spilt milk, I know, but it’s been downhill all the way since then. Will the Middle East ever find peace? I I hope so but I doubt it.
The only news coming out of Gaza comes from Hamas or Israel. Apparently, you assume Hamas' news is true unless it has been proven false. I assume it is false. I haven't been proven wrong yet.
I think you have explained well the uneasy understanding that I suspect most non-aligned parties outside the Middle East have arrived at in looking for a reasonable solution to this tragic situation.
It would appear that the removal of both Hamas and Netanyahu is required for any forward movement to occur.
The Palestinians were handed a two state solution twenty years ago, when Israel retreated from the West Bank (expelling their own people to do so), and handed an autonomous zone to the Palestinians, in a bid for peace.
....but rather than choosing to govern themselves democratically and building a prosperous nation (which was definitely an option), the Palestinians instead held exactly ONE election, in which the death cult of Hamas won a majority of the vote, and has ever since made the number one goal of Gaza be the destruction of Israel.
What Carney et al are proposing is madness - they want a do-over, expecting that somehow the results will be different this time.
With all due respect, while you acknowledge the differences between Gaza and the West Bank, your conclusion glosses over a key point: the Palestinian Authority under Fatah followed the Oslo Accords’ initial guidelines, yet it was Israel that pulled back from the agreement.
The same PA that implements to this day a pay-to-slay program against Israelis using aid money. That's who's sitting across the table in the West Bank and yet in your mind it is Israel that is the questionable partner.
Carney expects the PA to get rid of Hamas, a task that can only be done militarily. So Carney must expect Netanyahu to allow PA fighters through Israel to engage Hamas. As in 2007, the war will be far bloodier than what is happening now. More than one million Gazans still support Hamas, a death toll that Carney must find tolerable unless, like his predecessor, he is just engaging in performative politics.
Pretty balanced opinion piece on a very unbalanced and unstable conflict. Both Hamas and the Palestine Authority have to go, both are trouble makers and corrupt to the core. As you say it’s a very complex situation and mistakes will be made by Israel, no war is fought perfectly and there are always unforeseen casualties, and of course it’s always the civilian population that suffer the most. Israel has accomplished a wondrous feat in reshaping the Middle East and other nations should thank it for that. England and France, the two countries who divided the Middle East, causing most of the turmoil we see today, are behaving in the same irresponsible and arrogant manner by recognizing a Palestinian State. Israel has been betrayed too many times by these countries to listen to them and it is rightfully going its own way. Netanyahu has accomplished a great deal and deserves credit for it. Judge him ten years from now and find that he was right all along in doing what needed to be done for Israel’s survival.
Your support for Netanyahu undermines the credibility of your other claims. We cannot ignore the culpability of the Netanyahu government for this mess.
Most credible reporting indicates that it was Netanyahu who sought to use Hamas to undermine the PA.
That suggests that he and his supporters helped to create the monster they now seek to destroy, almost without regard for the civilians whose lives are being destroyed in this purge of terrorists.
Let’s not forget, as well, that Netanyahu’s government presided over the intelligence failing that gave Hamas the room it needed to mount the heinous attack and reprehensible kidnappings it perpetrated on 7th October 2023.
I lay the blame squarely with Hamas. It was Hamas who planned this attack for years, Hamas who crossed the border to mutilate and terrorize innocent Israeli civilians, Hamas who decided hostages were there Trump card to live forever. Hamas who didn’t care about the toll it would take on Palestinian lives. Hamas, Hamas, Hamas. The intelligence failure is a whole different story, which will, no doubt, be scrutinized for years.
I’m not denying the role played by Hamas. However, it is unwise (indeed, inconceivable and irresponsible) to ignore Israel’s (Netanyahu’s) choices and strategies.
Tal Schneider, For years, Netanyahu propped up Hamas. Now it’s blown up in our faces, The Times of Israel, 8 October 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-years-netanyahu-propped-up-hamas-now-its-blown-up-in-our-faces/
Live long and prosper. We are not going to agree on this subject.
Before October 7, 2023, the Netanyahu government was on its back heels because of opposition to their efforts to jam through a revision to Israel's Basic Law that would dramatically curtail the power of the Israeli Supreme Court. There were (and are) good arguments that the court's power should be limited, but what Netanyahu and his coalition proposed was overwhelmingly unpopular and they weren't trusted. Then October 7 happened, and after nearly 2 years it's possible to forget that it was a shocking security failure on the part of Netanyahu's government, which had turned its eye and military resources towards protecting settlers in the West Bank.
If not for the immediate military crisis, Netanyahu's government should've been defeated for their immense failure and Netanyahu himself would've found himself back in the dock to face long-standing charges of corruption. Since then, Israel has had stunning successes in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran - it's overshadowed but hasn't changed the fact that Netanyahu's government is largely out of step with the Israeli public and seems to be seeking new reasons to stay in power. They're now a significant obstacle to ending the conflict.
One has to ask: how much of a surprise was the October 7th attack for Israel? Reports suggest Israeli intelligence had Hamas’s plans nearly a year in advance—yet officials dismissed them as aspirational, ignoring concrete warnings. In the months leading up to the assault, a female surveillance unit at the Gaza border spotted alarming signs: practice raids, mock hostage drills, and oddly behaving farmers. They recorded it all in WhatsApp messages, some turning into grim jokes: who would be on duty when the inevitable hit? Just days before, Egypt reportedly warned of an “imminent explosive attack,” only to be met with what sources describe as Prime Minister Netanyahu’s indifference.
The question remains: was this a catastrophic intelligence failure, bureaucratic overconfidence, or a cold calculation—that an attack could provide a casus belli, freeing Israel’s military to act unchecked in Gaza and the West Bank? The aftermath leaves a stark tension between what was known, what was ignored, and what might have been deliberately leveraged.
Reasonable discussion of the shift in tone and support. But clear that Netanyahu does not and has never supported a two-state approach. So likely he, Abbas and Hamas have to go before any real possibility.
Unfortunately, Netanyahu has to keep the war going so he can stay in power and out of jail. This will not end in Gaza.
Hamas’s decision to launch its unprecedented assault on October 7th, 2023 can be seen, in part, as the culmination of years of deepening Palestinian despair and the conviction that peaceful avenues had failed. I find violence of any kind—whether committed by a state or a militant group—abhorrent, yet it is impossible to understand this event without the broader context. Gaza has been under a strict Israeli-led blockade since 2007, severely restricting the movement of people and goods, crippling its economy, and contributing to chronic shortages of food, medicine, and electricity. For many in Gaza, the memory of the 2018–2019 Great March of Return still looms large: tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered near the border fence in largely unarmed demonstrations to demand an end to the blockade and the right of return, yet Israeli snipers killed hundreds and maimed thousands, including medics, journalists, and children. To Hamas and its supporters, these events reinforced the belief that even peaceful protest was met with lethal force, and that Israel’s long-term aim was not coexistence but the dismantling of Palestinian presence and identity. Over the years, Hamas’s existence—and periodic violence—has also been used by successive Israeli governments as a political justification for expanding settlements deep into the occupied West Bank, further fragmenting Palestinian territory and entrenching military control. Many Palestinians also view Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as emblematic of Israel’s abandonment of the peace process: in the 1990s, his fierce opposition to the Oslo Accords helped stall negotiations, and his inflammatory rhetoric during that period is widely believed to have created the political climate that enabled the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a right-wing extremist. In Hamas’s view, diplomacy and nonviolent resistance had yielded only more settlements, more restrictions, and worsening living conditions. October 7th was thus framed by Hamas as a desperate, if brutal, act of resistance against what they perceived as an implacable effort to erase their people—a claim Israel rejects, viewing the attack as unjustifiable terrorism.
Most accurate assessment I have seen in a long time.
Al Jazeera begs to differ on about the state of Gaza.
https://www.memri.org/tv/jazeera-tv-report-on-boom-in-gaza-consumer-enterprises
I have seen similar statements when people comment about the fancy shopping mall in Ramallah in the West Bank. This is a really common point of confusion, and it comes down to understanding the differences between appearances, inequality, and the broader context of blockade and poverty.
Gaza has been under a strict blockade by Israel (and partly by Egypt) for years. This limits the flow of goods, building materials, and basic supplies. Essential infrastructure—like electricity, clean water, and healthcare—is severely constrained for most of the population.
The presence of malls, restaurants, and resorts doesn’t mean everyone in Gaza is well-off. These facilities often cater to a small wealthier segment of the population or are funded by foreign aid, family remittances from overseas, or political groups. Most Gazans live in poverty, relying on humanitarian assistance. Like many poverty ravished countries, there is always a small group with a heavy concentration of wealth.
Even under blockade, there’s a “dual economy” in Gaza. Some luxury goods or leisure businesses exist because of imported goods, smuggling tunnels, or donations. Meanwhile, most people struggle with unemployment rates over 40–50%, limited job opportunities, and high poverty rates.
Amusement parks, resorts, and shopping centers sometimes serve more as morale boosters or statements of resilience. They don’t reflect the daily reality of shortages, electricity cuts, and restricted movement. In the case of Ramallah, it is also used by groups to point out how well Palestinians do in the West Bank, however, it is just window dressing.
Seeing malls and resorts is not evidence that the majority of Gazans live comfortably. It’s like seeing luxury condos in a city that still has severe homelessness—appearance can be misleading when wealth is extremely uneven and most people face systemic hardship.
I assume Al Jazeera would not be highlighting any pro-Israeli position. Can you steer me to a non partisan portrait of the other Gaza that is worse of than any other poor state. I might point out e.g. your stats are from UNRWA which is much higher by 200% than any other source e.g. https://tradingeconomics.com/palestine/unemployment-rate or https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/pse/west-bank-and-gaza/unemployment-rate. Your last sentence could apply to SF or Toronto or New Orleans :)
A majority of Israelis oppose a viable Palestinian state and prefer the long term maintenance of Israeli control over the Occupied Territories. A sizable, rising and apparently politically dominant minority support annexation, expansion and ethnic cleansing. I doubt in 20-30s anyone will consider Israel a western state or an ally (either culturally or diplomatically). There is far too much optimism and obfuscation in certain western intellectual circles on this point.
Israel has faced 20,000 shells and rockets since Gaza was given its freedom in 2005. Just under three a day for 20 years.
This is a partial explanation and justification for public sentiment in Israel - clearly this is a very complicated and bad little ethnic blood feud / conflict.
But it doesn't directly address the issue in my comment. The political trajectory Israel is on will likely result in it (justifiably) becoming an international pariah and a state which western countries do not identify with or support. Bibi is speed running the process right now, but you still need decades for the process to work itself out - both as Israel continues to radicalize and pursue "solutions" which were verboten during the Labour Zionism and Peace Process days, and for the Boomer and Gen X nostalgics to die out or become less influential in Western countries through generational turnover.
Some of my responses are becoming too reflexive. I apologize for not properly digesting your post before responding.
Mr. Stratton's narrative has a couple of false premises: first, this is not about land. Hamas/Gazans want the eradication of Israel as an entity and death to Jews everywhere. Listen to their murderous chants at demonstrations across Canada, Europe, the UK and the US and this time, really hear them and really believe them. Westerners have trouble with that. Second, the two-state solution will not work. Since Israel accepted the post-WWII offer -- and the Arabs in the area rejected it -- the Arabs have in fact rejected it 7 times in total. So why do you think they will accept it now? It is NOT what they want. To ignore historical facts is always dangerous and most Westerners -- including the elites in our governments and education systems -- have re-written the history of the Middle East to fit the oppressor/oppressed, colonizer/colonized framework. Young people are particularly vulnerable to simple explanations and profoundly ignorant of the facts. Israel needs to get the correct narrative out better and we Jews in the Diaspora need to continually call out the legacy media's lies, Hamas's propaganda and point up the facts. For good journalism, read Douglas Murray and for the correct history of the region, listen to Melanie Phillips.
Even if not appropriate, I say Amen to this comment. Very good recommendations, too.
Yes Israel has made mistakes, but it’s interesting how Israel is always expected to be perfect while the bad guys make nothing but mistakes & are the real instigators at every turn. And anyone who believes Carney’s “conditions” will be met is dreaming. Rewarding the terrorists by recognizing Palestine is shameful & sneaky by Carney when he has a minority govt & Parliament is not sitting. He makes a mockery of our so-called democracy.
You keep calling these “mistakes,” as if they’re random accidents that only happen because Israel is unfairly held to a higher standard. But the reality is that independent investigations by the UN, the ICC, and major human rights organizations have documented a sustained pattern of conduct that meets the legal definition of war crimes: deliberate or reckless attacks on civilians, aid workers, medics, and journalists; destruction of hospitals and indispensable infrastructure; and repeated shootings at starving people waiting for food. These aren’t isolated lapses in a fog of war — they’re well-established incidents with dates, places, death tolls, and credible sources. If you want to see what that pattern looks like, here’s the record.
• Oct 13, 2023 – Alma al-Chaab, South Lebanon – Israeli tank fire killed Reuters cameraman Issam Abdallah and wounded six other clearly marked journalists. Deaths/Injuries: 1 killed, 6 injured. Sources: Amnesty International; UNIFIL investigation; CPJ.
• Nov 18, 2023 – Gaza City (near Al-Shifa Hospital) – MSF evacuation convoy, pre-coordinated with the IDF, came under fire; MSF says evidence points to Israeli responsibility. Deaths/Injuries: 2 killed. Sources: MSF; HRW.
• Dec 9, 2023 – Rafah – Israeli Navy fired at an UNRWA guesthouse while staff slept; coordinates had been repeatedly provided. Deaths/Injuries: None reported. Sources: HRW.
• Jan 8, 2024 – Khan Younis (Al-Mawasi) – Projectile struck an MSF shelter housing over 100 staff/families; suspected Israeli tank shell. Deaths/Injuries: 2 killed, 7 injured. Sources: HRW.
• Jan 29–Feb 10, 2024 – Gaza City (Tel al-Hawa) – Killing of 5-year-old Hind Rajab, her family, and two PRCS paramedics sent to rescue her. Deaths/Injuries: 9 killed. Sources: Reuters; Washington Post; OHCHR.
• Feb 23, 2024 – Gaza City – Israeli strike killed four Gaza Civil Defence firefighters responding to an emergency; PRCS said their marked vehicle was later bulldozed and buried under rubble. Deaths/Injuries: 4 killed. Sources: PRCS; Al Jazeera; Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
• Feb 29, 2024 – Gaza City (Al-Rashid Street, “Flour Massacre”) – Crowd waiting for flour/aid came under Israeli fire, according to the UN. Deaths/Injuries: 118 killed, 760 injured. Sources: UN OHCHR; Reuters.
• Mar 14, 2024 – Gaza City (Kuwait Roundabout) – Crowd waiting for aid came under fire. Deaths/Injuries: 11+ killed, 100+ injured. Sources: Reuters.
• Mar 23–30, 2024 – Gaza City (Kuwait Roundabout) – Additional strikes/shootings at aid queues. Deaths/Injuries: 19–30+ killed. Sources: Al Jazeera; The New Humanitarian.
• Apr 1, 2024 – Deir al-Balah – World Central Kitchen convoy struck by three Israeli drone missiles after deconfliction. Deaths/Injuries: 7 aid workers killed (AU, UK×3, PL, US-CA, PS). Sources: Reuters; WCK; HRW.
• Feb 5, 2024 – Gaza (sea route/Nuseirat) – UNRWA convoy hit by Israeli naval fire at an agreed hold point. Deaths/Injuries: None reported. Sources: HRW.
• Mar 18–Apr 1, 2024 – Gaza City (Al-Shifa Hospital, 2nd raid) – Two-week IDF siege rendered the hospital inoperable; WHO found it “in ruins.” Deaths/Injuries: 21+ patients died. Sources: WHO; Reuters.
• Feb–Apr 2024 – Khan Younis (Nasser Hospital) & Gaza City (Al-Shifa) – Mass graves discovered after IDF withdrawals. Deaths/Injuries: “Hundreds” recovered. Sources: Reuters; Amnesty International.
• Apr 19–May 3, 2024 – Israeli custody (Ofer Prison) – Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, head of orthopedics at Al-Shifa, died in custody after months of detention. Deaths/Injuries: 1 dead. Sources: Reuters; OHCHR; HRW.
• Jul 18–27, 2024 – Rafah (Tel al-Sultan) – Canadian-funded water well/pumping site destroyed by an Israeli Army explosion. Deaths/Injuries: None reported. Sources: Reuters; Canadian media.
• Ongoing (2023–2025) – Gaza/West Bank/Lebanon – CPJ counts ~192 journalist/media worker deaths since Oct 2023. Deaths/Injuries: 190+ killed. Sources: CPJ.
• Oct 2023 (multiple days) – South Lebanon – Use of white phosphorus over populated areas documented. Deaths/Injuries: Civilian injuries, property damage. Sources: Amnesty International; HRW.
• Mar 23, 2025 – Rafah (Al-Hashashin area) – Convoy of ambulances, a fire truck, and a UN vehicle responding to an airstrike came under Israeli fire; survivors say vehicles were later bulldozed and buried. Deaths/Injuries: 15 emergency/aid workers killed (8 PRCS medics, 5 Civil Defence, 1 UN staff; 1 missing). Sources: Reuters; PRCS; IFRC; Amnesty.
• Mar 31, 2025 – Rafah – Bodies of the 15 medics/rescue workers and mangled ambulances recovered from a shallow mass grave a week after the attack. Deaths/Injuries: 15 dead recovered. Sources: Reuters; UN officials.
• Apr 6–21, 2025 – Israel/OPT (follow-up on Mar 23) – IDF review found “professional failures”/breaches of orders in the killing and burial of the 15 aid workers. Sources: Reuters; Al Jazeera.
• Apr 29 & May 22, 2025 – Rafah/Jerusalem – Surviving PRCS paramedic Assad al-Nasasrah freed by Israel; detailed shootings at marked vehicles and burial of colleagues; described surviving detention/torture. Sources: Reuters.
• Jun 1–3, 2025 – Central Gaza (near Netzarim corridor) & other sites – OHCHR: militarised aid mechanism linked to repeated shootings at civilians seeking food; multiple deadly incidents for 3 days running. Deaths/Injuries: Dozens killed; many wounded. Sources: OHCHR.
• Jun 11, 2025 – Central Gaza (GHF aid site near Netzarim) – Israeli gunfire/airstrikes killed at least 41–60 Palestinians, most near a GHF aid site; hospitals report 25 shot approaching the site. Deaths/Injuries: 41–60 killed; dozens wounded. Sources: Reuters.
• Jun 17, 2025 – Khan Younis – 51 killed while waiting for aid; IDF says a crowd gathered “in proximity” to troops and expresses regret. Deaths/Injuries: 51 killed; many injured. Sources: Washington Post.
• Jun 24, 2025 – Gaza (various aid points) – UN: Over 400 Palestinians have been killed at or near aid distribution points as of June 24. Sources: UN OHCHR.
• Jul 4, 2025 – Gaza (aid sites/convoy routes) – OHCHR: 613 killings recorded at aid sites or near convoys as of June 27. Sources: Al Jazeera citing OHCHR.
• Aug 11–13, 2025 – Gaza (GHF food distribution points) – Guardian investigation and UN experts detail a pattern of gunfire at GHF-run aid points; ~1,400 deaths near aid sites since May 2025 when GHF replaced UN mechanism. Sources: The Guardian; UN experts.
Outstanding essay. Thanks Al. Your comment on October 7th and becoming a Zionist can also be justified by the rest of us today, upon watching and/or remembering how Canadian Jews have been treated in this country . I started watch Fauda again on Netflix. It mirrors the eye for an eye issue and how both Israel and Gaza have become blind. Though the foregoing reference relates to post ending of the war. I do not know how the vitriol and hatred can ever be addressed in this area of the world although those leftists were farming in Kibbutzes next to the border showed that love could survive, but they are all dead now.....
Hamas didn't come out of nowhere. Many of the commenters here don't seem to realize that. Go back to the diplomatic shenanigans that occurred during World War I when the Allies, primarily Britain and France, were planning to dismember the soon-to-be-history Ottoman Empire. Hint: Focus on "Sykes-Picot Agreement" and "Balfour Declaration." Follow the timeline forward. It includes Hitler and the genocide of Jewish people. This greatly increased pressure for a Jewish state in the Levant. This state -- Israel -- was eventually created, with virtually no input from the Palestinians who'd lived in that area for many generations.
In the run-up to the declaration of the State of Israel in May 1948, Palestinians were driven from their homes by various strategies, including terror. (Look up "Haganah" and "Irgun," etc.) What followed was caught up in the US-USSR Cold War. This was one of the few times that the Soviets had justice on their side.
Things have gotten progressively worse since then because -- wonder of wonders! -- Palestinians were every bit as angry at being dispossessed as the Native peoples of North America were at being dispossessed by Europeans.
When will we ever learn? Damned if I know. But I do recommend Langston Hughes's poem "Harlem" to anyone who's thinking about it. Don't worry: it's very short. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46548/harlem
There was no such historical 'people' as Palestinians prior to the 1960s and created by Arafat under Soviet direction! You've bought into the whole Jewish colonial settler conspiratorial narrative straight out of the Kremlin and widely promoted by anti-Zionists everywhere. The one trivial detail you overlook is that this narrative is an inversion of what is true.
It's a very strange world when an indigenous population in a tiny fraction of the Levant (you pretend to honour in the North American context) is called 'colonial' while itinerant workers drawn to the work made available by the indigenous building a country out of almost nothing fled when neighbours decided to invade. The name Judea didn't just magically appear; the area has been the home of Judaism since before cuneiform writing came to be. You pay exactly zero credit for the indigenous who remained and fought valiantly for what was finally recognized by the international community as theirs in response to a holocaust against them elsewhere. The script you follow is flipped in order to paint this resilience as 'bad', the building of a diverse liberal democracy as 'bad', defending it as 'bad, while turning those who not just fled but often did so in spite of pleadings to stay by the indigenous (also well recorded in British military records) as the real victims... not of Arab invasions which motivated those without strong roots to flee, but condemn the indigenous who stayed and won! Good grief. In your narrative, only the indigenous have agency and so they are the bad guys regardless of all other factors.
When will we ever learn? Well, surely it has to start by doing a better job at recognizing what's probably true. (I know, don't call you Shirley.)
So Tildeb, just to confirm, 750,000 people were not driven from their homes during the Nakba? That is conspiracy theory from the Russians? I don't want to argue, but definitely want to understand.
Another way to understand this, Jay, is to ask what happened to those who stayed? About 25% of Israel's population fundamentally come from these people who are Arab, Druze, Bedouin, Christian, Sumerian Orthodox, and so on. They have full citizenship. They serve in judicial and the military and hold office in the Knesset. How is this possible if the government of Israel's policy truly 'drove' non Jews from the land? The so-called Nakba - a flow of people fleeing war - was a created term used by the Soviets to establish a permanent refugee population bordering and committing never-ending war crimes against Israel. Notice how all the functioning neighbouring states have dealt with these 'refugees' today. Only Israel doesn't expel them yet only Israel is held to account for their permanent refugee status! This selective accounting borders on the ludicrous yet the Just So anti-Jewish narrative is so widely believed today that we get well meaning people supporting and excusing dedicated Islamic death cults... as long as Israel and Israelis are the target. And then all bets are off.
Isn’t it true that “Palestinian” was a legal and common term under the British Mandate, dating back to the 1925 Palestine Citizenship Order, and that Palestinian Arab newspapers, political movements, and identity existed decades before Arafat or the Soviets? And isn’t it also true that around 700,000–750,000 Palestinians were displaced in 1947–49, with many forcibly expelled, hundreds of villages destroyed, and return legally barred afterward despite UN Resolution 194 affirming their right to return or be compensated? If the exodus was purely voluntary, why did historians like Benny Morris document multiple expulsions and why do monitored broadcasts show no blanket Arab order to flee? While about 20% of Israel’s population today are Arab citizens, isn’t it also true they lived under military law until 1966 with severe restrictions and land confiscations? And finally, even if other Arab states treated refugees poorly, does that erase Israel’s legal and moral responsibility for their original dispossession and the ongoing prevention of return?
happy to be wrong, but just want to be clear in the facts
At least as many Jews were expelled from the surrounding Arab countries when Israel came into existence in 1948. Well documented but oddly, seems to be far less well known. Or cared about.
Some of the Jewish communities dated from before Roman times.
You’re correct. There were parallel refuge crises created by the same conflict and it definitely should be known and acknowledged. I think, and this is me making an assumption, is that it’s less known and, as you said, cared about today, because Israel integrated many of these refugees into its society (though often with hardship and discrimination), while Palestinian refugees were denied return and often kept in camps, leaving the refugee issue unresolved to this day.
It’s important to acknowledge ALL aspects of this conflict, and so, for my point above, while it wasn’t my point, I appreciate you making this comment and adding further information.
Arafat could have avoided much of this but he chose not to accept a two-state solution. No point crying over spilt milk, I know, but it’s been downhill all the way since then. Will the Middle East ever find peace? I I hope so but I doubt it.
Outstanding piece. Please write more about your thoughts on Israel et al.