No. of Recommendations: 6
Yup. Schumer's speech won't change opinions of Israelis in the immediate term, they will remain supportive of efforts that appear to further cripple Hamas' ability to replicate the October attack.
Yup. It is worthwhile to attempt laying some of the blame for the attack directly on Netanyahu. Regardless of whether Israelis BELIEVE it, the facts seem to support this argument. Within a month of the attacks, it became apparent Israeli intelligence had not just a hint that something bad was going to go down, they had a FORTY PAGE tactical summary itemizing the scope and breadth of the plan AND IGNORED IT, assuming it was wishful thinking and Hamas forces could never pull off something that complex. This despite the fact that there seemed to be a slowdown in rocket attacks over the past 12-18 months which in hindsight make it appear like Hamas forces were stockpiling munitions rather than using them up on a FIFO basis as they could obtain them.
Yup. It's not likely to alter Netanyahu's political arc. While Israelis "support" immediate efforts to hit Hamas, there does seem to be a majority concensus that Netanyahu failed in the ONE thing he claimed to be able to do better than any other alternative leader -- keep Israel "safe." This failure, combined with other anti-democratic initiatives he has pushed to placate his extreme right wing base make him EXTREMELY unpopular and unlikely to win re-election unless the voting occurs during another attack.
Yup. Schumer's speech is likely directed domestically to parts of the Democratic base. On one hand, most Americans of any political persuasion have a comically simplistic view of American power and influence and the willingness of foreign nations to jump when and where America tells them. On the other, American politicians have an equally child-like understanding of the same dynamics and encourage it by acting as though our IMMENSE power requires nuance in anything any politician says. This tends to stifle debate and suppress recognition of realities, both the realities of events happening in the world and their causes and the realities about America's ability to control other nations' actions.
I think Schumer's speech cuts through some of that self-delusion by first signaling to Americans who want ZERO criticism of Israel that no nation should be sacrosanct and immune from criticism. It also signals to simpletons that this situation is incredibly complicated and requires the ability to criticize countries we are actively supporting. The "correct" policy is unlikely to emerge from a mindset that tolerates no critique. Finally, it cuts through some of the willful suspension of disbelief and cuts to the chase that Netanyahu is not a leader with the appropriate policies and leadership skills to solve the long term problem being worsened by Israel's current response to the October attacks. His policies are fatally flawed in the judicial, social, military and security realms and will recursively worsen every problem Israel faces.
In some sense, Schumer's speech was directed at the entire American population as an attempt to cut through the BS and trigger a more realistic debate about how to address the Gaza nightmare.
WTH
