Paul B. Kantor on ‘The Gaza Three Card Monte’

Every New Yorker is familiar with the street hustle that separates suckers from their money. Something similar is happening in the discussions about the atrocities in the Middle East. There are three “cards” in Gaza — Palestinian people, the Hamas government with its military, and the most recent specific atrocities. It is clear that the card in the middle, Hamas with its military, is the guilty party. Yet many speakers, sadly, including many of our academic leaders, are tricked. They condemn “the atrocity.” Others are distracted about Israel’s effort to respond and say: “You must protect the Palestinian people.”

What is missing in too much of the discussion is the key card: Hamas itself. Hamas has long sought this latest atrocity, takes pride in its occurrence, and must be removed, once and for all,  from this deadly shell game. President Biden has wisely readied our military and increased its presence in the Eastern Mediterranean. The United Nations could help by providing support for those Palestinians who are not Hamas and need to flee the war zone. And so can any other nation.  The rest of us must realize when we are being hustled, and resist being drawn into a sucker’s game.