Born in Berlin in 1876 to an Orthodox Jewish family, Hermann Struck was an enthusiastic and prominent Zionist who by 1910 had established himself as a leading figure on the German art scene. He was commissioned to create lithograph portraits of such prominent persons as Henryk Ibsen, Oscar Wilde, and Friedrich Nietzsche, and his art was displayed at the Fifth Zionist Congress in 1901. When World War I began, Struck encountered new artistic opportunities, as Amit Naor writes:

Then thirty-eight years old, Struck wasn’t required to enlist. Nevertheless, like many other Jews, he eagerly volunteered to serve his country. . . . After undergoing basic training, he worked as a translator and censor assigned to the press department of the German Supreme Command on the Eastern Front.

Later on he was sent to the frontlines, where he took part in combat against the Russians. His actions during this period resulted in Struck being awarded the Iron Cross for “courage in the face of the enemy.” In July 1917, he returned to headquarters and served as the officer in charge of Jewish affairs in the [formerly Russian territories under German military occupation]. It was in this role that Struck came face to face for the first time with the Jews of Eastern Europe. . . . In his wartime sketches, Struck drew portraits of the Jews he met, their towns, and their way of life.

After the war, Struck also served as a consultant to the German delegation at the Paris Peace Conference on issues pertaining to East European Jews. He continued his activity in the religious-Zionist Mizraḥi movement and in 1923 . . . settled in Haifa, where his former home [now] serves as a museum for his work and that of other artists who work with printing and lithography.

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.