In the latest kerfuffle in Israel-Diaspora relations, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely—in an interview on an English-language Israeli news station—stated that teenagers in Israel overwhelmingly serve in the military, while American Jewish teenagers rarely do. For this comment, for which she has already apologized publicly, she was roundly criticized by some and enthusiastically defended by others. Rumors flew of her pending resignation. But Gil Troy, an American-born writer who has lived in Israel for many years, sees this as a tempest in a teapot:

Perhaps [Israeli and American Jews] could discuss our differences calmly if [Hotovely] had first affirmed that American Jews are our “brothers” and sisters and that she “cares” about them. She could have “welcomed” all Jews to see Israel as their “home.” And she should have singled out radicals trying to impose a “liberal dictatorship” who shut down alternative viewpoints and only blame Israel without acknowledging the conflict’s “complexity” or any Palestinian culpability.

Surprise! Watch the entire . . . interview: that’s what she did. She highlighted the importance of the [Israel-Diaspora] relationship before conveying her accurate criticism. . . .

Israeli and American Jews have never had more constructive grassroots contact. Forty percent of American Jews and Israelis have visited each other’s country. That percentage doubled in twenty years, thanks to Birthright Israel, general tourism, and other bridge-building initiatives. . . . Yet too many leaders, who should know better—along with loudmouth extremists in both countries who don’t want to know better—foul the relationship with aggressive demagoguery and thin-skinned responses. . . .

[It’s] true: Israelis are targeted by Palestinian terrorism, Iranian nuclear ambitions, and every anti-Semite and anti-Zionist on the planet, while American Jews barely are. And the typical Israeli serves in the army, while the rare American Jew does. . . . [T]he different experiences my kids have as soldiers and their [American] cousins have as students merit thoughtful conversation, not finger-pointing or posturing.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.