As you may have guessed, horrific violence in Israel and Gaza calls for decidedly un-funny cartoons.
Mocking Kevin McCarthy is one thing, cartooning about people killing civilians is quite another.
No matter how you slice it, civilians in Israel and Gaza (and likely the West Bank) are bearing the brunt of this war — a war that was brewing long before the terror attackon a rave and various locations near the border with Gaza.
Hamas’ brutal attack on Israeli civilians is a war crime, but so is Israel bombing hospitals, ambulances, mosques and residential towers. (Sorry, the fact that Hamas fighters might be there is no excuse.)
My guiding principle is that, yes, we can oppose Hamas terror attacks and Israel killing innocent civilians.
Yes, Hamas is made up of bad guys, but keep in mind that Gaza is a dense urban area filled with over 2 million people, half of who are children — hardly the place to level with bombs.
But that is exactly what is happening.
Keep in mind that Gaza has been blockaded by Israel (with Egypt’s support) for 16 years, with hardly anyone allowed to travel outside the fences and walls.
Seems like a recipe for terrorism and extremism.
Sadly, this appears to be the beginning of a long, violent slog, with Israeli hard-liners becoming even more extreme. (Which will of course be reciprocated on the Hamas side.)
While the urge to get the bad guys make sense, it’s the overreaction that worries me. (See: Afghanistan, Iraq, etc, etc.)
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