A Sunday meeting between United Nation members raised concerns that the violence could erupt into an all-out war and sparked debate about Israel s right to defend itself.
Lindsey Graham Says Israel Must Do as Much Damage as Possible to Ensure End to Hamas Capabilities
On 5/17/21 at 2:32 PM EDT
The conflict between Israel and Gaza is showing no signs of letting up soon and Senator Lindsey Graham supports Israel doing whatever it takes to dissuade Hamas from future attacks.
Members of the U.N. Security Council called for a cease-fire between the two sides and for Israel to craft its response in a means that s appropriate for the more powerful position it holds. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied Israel is doing anything more than invoking its natural right to defend itself and credited the strong response to being a means of degrading Hamas capabilities.
This Is What the Death of the Two-State Solution Looks Like
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on Order from Chaos.
The current crisis between Israelis and Palestinians in East Jerusalem, between Arabs and Jews in cities inside Israel, and between Israel and Hamas, is not analogous to any of the previous rounds of violence inflicted on Palestinian and Israeli civilians by their increasingly feckless and bankrupt political leaders. This is not another 2014, or another 2009, or another Second Intifada. It is something new. This is what the death of the two-state solution looks like.
The current unravelling has its roots in the political dysfunction of both Israel’s party system and the Palestinian national movement’s decayed one-party dictatorship.
“To prevent any further loss of civilian life and to prevent further escalation of conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories, we urge an immediate ceasefire,” the statement said.
Its signatories include the prominent senators Amy Klobuchar, Tammy Duckworth, Bernie Sanders, Chris Murphy, Tim Kaine and Elizabeth Warren.
Mr Murphy also issued a separate statement with Republican Todd Young in which they called for a “quick ceasefire”.
The Biden administration has blocked UN efforts to issue a statement on a possible truce.
On Friday, 12 Jewish members of Congress were the first to call on President Joe Biden’s administration to pursue a truce.