Tag: Israel

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:

  1. Israel agreed to halt its bombardment of Gaza. What happens if they continue to wage war on Gazans?
  2. Hamas has agreed to disarm its followers/soldiers. Who will verify and certify this disarmament?
  3. 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?
  4. 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?
  5. Israel has agreed to pull out its soldiers from most of Gaza. What happens if they keep some/most of their soldiers there?
  6. 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!!!

For Better or for Worse: This is Trump’s War. Will He Own It and Take Responsibility?

Over the weekend, President Trump authorized the US military to carry out air attacks by B2 bombers against Iranian nuclear sites. Fighter pilots executed his orders on Saturday. In a speech to the nation later that evening, Trump immediately claimed the attack was a “tremendous success” and that the stockpiles had been “obliterated”! Although the dust was supposed to settle these last three days, more uncertainty and inconsistencies have arisen. Vice-President Vance had to walk back Trump’s “obliteration” claim, by acknowledging that the degree of destruction has yet to be determined. Late on Monday, Trump brokered a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Nevertheless, Israel definitely (and Iran possibly) violated the ceasefire. This morning as he was leaving the White House for his NATO trip to Europe, he responded to questions from reporters. His anger was quite evident. “I am not happy with Israel”, he retorted as he criticized Israel for unloading bombs on Iran making a mockery of his ceasefire. As he walked away, Trump himself dropped the “F” bomb. “Israel and Iran have been fighting for so long and so hard, they don’t know what the F*** they’re doing”.

There is no doubt about it: This is Trump’s war. It was not a war of necessity. It was a war of choice. Trump owns it…for better or for worse. Trump (and those who support this war) must answer some essential questions. Was this attack legal? Why did Trump break his campaign promise to not take the US into another endless war in the Middle East? Did Netanyahu “play” Trump by appealing to his weak ego? Will this attack be similar to the decade-long war in Iraq? If Iran’s government is still in place and still has some uranium stockpiles, is it still a terrorist state? If this conflict escalates and oil prices skyrocket, will Trump take responsibility, or will he blame others?

Was it legal? Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article 1 of the US Constitution. Since the end of WWII, presidents (both Republicans and Democrats) have violated the Constitution, but they gave the appearance of obedience by alerting congressional leaders (usually the “gang of eight”) before attacks had been launched. Trump did not even alert Democrat leaders until after the attack had occurred. It sure seems clear, that the president violated the Constitution.

Although Trump and his supporters deny it, this air attack seems similar to the war in Iraq that began in 2003. In the lead up to both, it was claimed that hostilities would last only a few days. Presidents Bush and Trump mentioned “regime change” as a goal, which would take years…at least. Both presidents appealed to questionable intelligence. Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. According to national intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard, Iran was not building a nuclear weapon. Trump silenced her. Why?

Predictably, most Republican leaders have supported Trump and his attack. There have been sharp criticisms from some who previously defended Trump on every issue (like Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon). Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican from Georgia and a staunch supporter of Trump, broke with the president on this military attack against Iran. She acknowledged that there’s a “very big divide” in the Republican party over the issue and that her position opposing foreign wars is becoming “more popular” among the MAGA base. On Monday she told CNN, “I got elected on the exact same campaign promises that President Trump got elected on. We promised no more foreign wars, no more regime change,”. Earlier in the day, in a lengthy post on X, she denounced Trump’s decision to authorize US bombings of Iranian nuclear sites. She claimed it “feels like a complete bait and switch” of his MAGA promises.

Taylor Greene was not the only Republican congressional representative to criticize the president’s decision. Thomas Massie is a conservative congressman from Kentucky. A week ago, prior to the attack, Massie had co-introduced a bipartisan War Powers Resolution in the House of Representatives in an attempt to restrict the president’s ability to escalate tensions with Iran. “The Constitution does not permit the executive branch to unilaterally commit an act of war against a sovereign nation that hasn’t attacked the United States,” Massie said in a press release announcing the resolution. “Congress has the sole power to declare war against Iran. The ongoing war between Israel and Iran is not our war. Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.” After Trump announced that the attacks had happened, Massie responded, ”This is not Constitutional”. (Trump reacted not with evidence, but by creating a PAC in Kentucky to try and defeat Massie in the 2026 primary.)

I believe the War Powers Resolution should go forward and be voted on. We should make our cowardly representatives go on the record about this war. Polls taken after the strikes (Reuters, CNN) reveal that a majority of US citizens disapprove of Trump’s attack with only about 44% in favor. Stay tuned for more details.

Violence Begets More Violence

A week ago, Hamas viciously attacked Israel with missiles and ruthless kidnappings. This attack took the Israeli government by surprise, but Israel then responded by bombing Gaza. These mutual attacks have been bloody. Thousands of people have already been killed and more than a hundred people are being held hostage by Hamas. It is understandable that Israel wants to get revenge and they are poised to launch a massive ground assault in Gaza. Although this is understandable, it is also immoral and shortsighted. Their announced goal is to permanently rid Gaza of Hamas leadership. It is a flawed plan for the following reasons:

  1. Hamas leaders are probably hidden away in underground tunnels throughout Gaza, making it difficult to capture or kill them. In this pursuit of Hamas leadership, a ground assault will become prolonged and will lead to the death of many Gazan civilians.
  2. In addition, the Israeli government is cutting off food, water, and electricity to the 2.5 million civilians who live in Gaza. This is already producing a humanitarian crisis of gigantic proportions and the death of numerous innocent people.
  3. Although Israel currently has the empathy and support of much of the world community, that will soon evaporate if large numbers of civilians lose their lives.
  4. A ground assault will lead to the death of the hostages, not their liberation.
  5. Neither the Israelis nor the United States have proposed a viable exit strategy. When will enough of the Hamas leadership be destroyed for Israel to claim victory? How many civilians will have died?

Positive actions do exist and should be pursued:

  1. A ceasefire should be implemented immediately which would permit humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
  2. The U.S. should lean on Egypt to open their border crossing into Gaza to permit refugees to escape.
  3. Neutral countries should step up to mediate and promote a long-lasting peace that would lead to the removal of Hamas leadership and would promote a two state solution and self-government for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

Continued “justified” violence is not the answer. It would only lead to more senseless violence.