Trump, Netanyahu and Others: Credit where Credit is Due and Blame where Blame is Due

Sunday, in my community of faith, one of our pastors gave a sermon on King Solomon. On the one hand, Solomon is widely known for his wisdom. Nevertheless, the Scriptures also describe how he made many unwise (=stupid) mistakes. Which of the following affirmations is true: “Solomon was wise” or “Solomon made stupid mistakes”? Although they seem contradictory, both can be accurate and true…at the same time and referring to the same person. His father, King David, was “a man after God’s own heart”, yet after committing adultery with Bathsheba, he tried to cover this sin with a more deadly one, in which he authorized the murder of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband.

The pages of history are strewn with examples of these moral contradictions. One of my favorite U.S. presidents was Abraham Lincoln. He freed the slaves. He kept the Union together during a horrible civil war that cost some 620,000 lives. Nevertheless, that war involved actions that were morally horrific. Lincoln authorized Sherman’s non justified “march to the sea” (with its scorched earth policy) in which thousands upon thousands of Southern civilians had their homes and farms ravaged and destroyed. At one and the same time, Lincoln was a good moral president who also made some ethically horrible decisions.

We can see this moral contradiction in both Trump and Netanyahu. Accurate descriptions will give credit/blame where they are due.

Trump and team should receive credit for brokering the ceasefire

Most hostages on both sides have been released
Israel is removing its soldiers from Gaza
Hamas has agreed to disarm
Palestinians have the right to self-determination
Humanitarian aid will immediately increase into Gaza
Some twenty nations (Arab, European) have pledged to support the peace process with resources
An international “Board of Peace” will be created to ensure safety and stability in Gaza and a process leading to self-government

These phases require Trump to focus and follow through on his commitments. These will probably be more difficult for him than this initial step of the ceasefire.

It is appropriate and important to assign blame to Trump for his actions/policies that are immoral, dangerous and/or misguided. Some of these are:

Trump’s gutting of USAID is causing the premature death of tens of thousands innocent people around the world.
Trump’s firing of needed federal employees (FEMA, CDC, IRS) which is causing unnecessary harm to these workers and to the American public.
Trump promised to end the war against Ukraine on “Day 1”, but peace is far away because Trump has coddled Putin and has not applied economic sanctions. At least Trump acknowledges that Putin has “played him”.
Trump promised to target criminal undocumented immigrants, but over 60% of those detained by ICE have NO CRIMINAL RECORD!
Trump promised the Epstein files would be released, but he and Republican leaders (like Johnson) are doing everything possible to block their release. What is Trump hiding?
Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is really quite ugly, because it takes away health care from millions of tax-paying citizens and food from the mouths of babes.
Trump promised to reduce prices for consumers, but he has an obsession with tariffs that add to inflation and have been a failure (see China).
Almost all of Trump’s public actions are moves toward presidential authoritarianism at the expense of the legislative and judiciary branches of our government and states’ rights.
Trump has character flaws that no ethical system can condone (bullying, womanizing, racism, lying to an extreme, blaming others for his own failures). MAGA readers: where is your prophetic voice against personal immorality?

Netanyahu likewise deserves credit and blame. Here is a short summary.

He should be credited for standing up to the conservative “war hawks” in his Cabinet who wanted to continue the war in Gaza.
He should also be credited for changing his position on Palestinian self-determination which the peace deal acknowledges.
Nevertheless, Netanyahu has rightly been found guilty of war crimes and genocide by the ICC. These are serious crimes and should not be swept under the rug.
Even today, he has made comments that cast doubt on whether he will abide by Trump’s 20-point plan. After Trump obtained an invitation for him to attend the summit in Egypt, Bibi backed out. Today’s celebration might be premature.

Today, more than ever, we the people need to express our approval or disapproval of our national leaders, not based on their party affiliation, but rather on whether their actions and policies are just or unjust.

A Ceasefire in Gaza! Kudos to Trump…IF He is Able to Implement it.

On Wednesday, President Trump announced that a ceasefire in Gaza had been brokered between Israel and Hamas (together with collaboration from several countries in the region). Although I frequently criticize the president for several political decisions that I consider immoral and vile, on this issue he should be applauded…temporarily, at least. The president issued a 20-point plan that (supposedly) both Hamas and Israel have agreed to. Nevertheless, some of these items might become “sticking points” if either side doesn’t follow through. Here are some of those points:

Israel agreed to halt its bombardment of Gaza. What happens if they continue to wage war on Gazans?
Hamas has agreed to disarm its followers/soldiers. Who will verify and certify this disarmament?
Israel has long opposed the independence of Gaza, but supposedly has now agreed that Gazans would be free. They would be governed by an international “peace council” of which Trump himself would oversee. What happens if the Israeli government backs away from this agreement?
The Trump plan allows for the discussion of nationhood of Palestine. Netanyahu says this is a “no-go”. This is a serious sticking point. Can Trump use his influence to get Israel to change its position?
Israel has agreed to pull out its soldiers from most of Gaza. What happens if they keep some/most of their soldiers there?
All Israeli and Palestinian hostages and detainees would be returned to their homeland and loved ones. What a wonderful homecoming! What happens if there are discrepancies in the number and health of these returnees? Who verifies these figures?

A just peace in Palestine has not happened for a long time. May this time be different!!!

Genocide against Israel is Evil…and so is Genocide against the Gazans

On October 7, Hamas attacked Israel and killed over a thousand Israelis and took over a hundred hostages. In response, Israel launched air attacks upon Gaza and, as a result, over ten thousand Palestinians have been killed. Israel also restricted food and water supplies in Gaza, and many additional thousands have died. Hamas is guilty of genocide…and so is Netanyahu’s administration. Both halves of the previous sentence are true and must be affirmed.

In our polarized society, we must apply the same ethical standards to both sides. We must no longer be like sports fans whose favorite team is never guilty of rule violations and whose opponents are never right. International laws that prohibit the targeting of civilians apply to friends and foes alike. If we don’t apply these criteria to all, we are guilty of hypocrisy. The tragic result is that anti-Semitism and anti-Palestinianism have skyrocketed in our country and around the world.

I add my voice to the call for an immediate ceasefire with the following goals:

Hostages on both sides be exchanged.
Humanitarian aid flow into Gaza.
Reasonable Israelis and thoughtful Palestinians sit down together and acknowledge their own guilt.
Both sides sketch out the first steps to achieve a just peace for all involved.
Nations around the world overcome their own interests and biases in order to stimulate and accompany this process of seeking a just peace.