Newsletter: The disgusting ‘whataboutism’ after Hamas’ attack on Israel

Good morning. I’m Paul Thornton, and it is Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Let’s look back at the week in Opinion.

After a week in which hundreds of civilian Israelis were massacred for the crime of existing in the Jewish state — touching off another conflict in the region that will inflict more misery and death on the already immiserated Palestinians of the Gaza Strip — it seems almost insulting for a nonexpert like me to offer up another opinion on the matter. It’s better to pay attention to the contributions of real experts on Israel and the Palestinians, including several on our own op-ed page: one from a former Israeli foreign minister on the current government’s blundering that set the stage for catastrophe, and another by a professor of Jewish history urging Israel to pursue peace with the Palestinians for its own sake.

What I can offer is a purely gut-level emotion: disgust. Over the attack, of course, but also disgust at the reaction by some I might have considered ideologically aligned with me on most issues — but evidently not on the indiscriminate slaughter of Israeli civilians. That plenty of people can look at what’s plainly an atrocity and reflexively blame the victims or engage in endless whataboutism is, well, something — perhaps a lesson in antisemitism that I never wanted.

This isn’t to deny the suffering of the Palestinians. As of this writing, large portions of Gaza City have been destroyed by unyielding, vengeful airstrikes, and an Israeli ground invasion that will deepen the unfolding humanitarian crisis appears imminent (it may already be underway by the time you read this). As with past conflicts in the region, Palestinian civilians will lose the most in lives and hope. For a perspective on their plight, read this heart-rending piece by Palestinian journalist Yara Eid on the death of her friend and colleague Ibrahim Lafi, killed in an Israeli strike.

Whatever you do, don’t expect good information from X (I call it ex-Twitter). There you’ll find a few helpful, ground-level reports drowned out by a sea of manipulation and lifelike videogame animations purporting to be war footage. The site used to be a valuable source of breaking news and information. Since billionaire Elon Musk bought the platform, it’s become a cesspool of falsehoods and propaganda.

The Hamas attack on Israel reflects an intelligence failure. But that’s not the worst failure. Liam Collins, a retired U.S. Army Special Forces colonel, says Israel has relied too much on intelligence in lieu of developing a deeper understanding of its adversaries: “Intelligence can do only so much. The other key piece of defense is understanding how your enemy thinks and operates. And the Israelis appeared to struggle on that score too.”

This is what it’s been like in Tel Aviv since Hamas attacked: Waking up to the sound of sirens. Feeling terror knowing family members were in a home invaded by Hamas attackers, then relief after finding out they survived. Worrying that your south-facing windows won’t provide enough protection in a rocket strike. These and other harsh realities have been a part of Israeli peace activist Itamar Karbi’s life since Hamas attacked one week ago.

She’s a rabbi, and this is how she talked to her kids about the war in Israel: Yael Buechler says that when she showed her children a newspaper cover with a picture of rockets being fired into Israel, she was asked about their cousins who live in Israel and spend some holidays in bomb shelters. Poignantly, her kindergartner asked, “Does God like the people who are sending the rockets to Israel?”

She’s nervous about following Pamela Anderson’s makeup-free example. Seeing that the actress drew praise for showing up to Paris Fashion Week completely bare-faced, Hoda Mallone recalled telling a friend recently about her own wish to go makeup-free: “She was supportive and loving, but I still heard a murmur of worry for me in her response. As a woman in my 40s, apparently the act of leaving the house without makeup is somewhat revolutionary.”

How do we know the Republican Party has become an autocratic movement? Stuart Stevens, who managed Republican Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, notes the GOP once had ideological diversity on issues ranging from abortion to national defense. Now, Stevens says, strongman instincts have crushed dissent within the party, making it ripe for takeover by someone like Donald Trump.

More from this week in opinion

From our columnists

• Jackie Calmes: Jim Jordan should never be House speaker. Here’s why
• LZ Granderson: Can Americans have a not-racist conversation about border security?
• Robin Abcarian: Why don’t women make as much as men? Economist Claudia Goldin has some Nobel Prize-winning answers

From the Op-Ed desk

• L.A. can be a lonely place. But I’ve found ways to break the isolation
• How not to cover Donald Trump’s bizarre 2024 campaign for president
• Why the Kaiser Permanente strike may signal more healthcare labor unrest to come

From the Editorial Board

• No one should have to die for our fancy countertops
• California’s transportation spending doesn’t match its climate promises
• Asking the Supreme Court to weigh in on homeless policy invites troubles for L.A. and other cities

Letters to the Editor

• Don’t force all seniors to take the DMV’s ridiculous written test
• Hamas’ brutal terrorism is shocking, but Israel must still pursue peace
• Republicans nominate an election denier for speaker. They’re refueling the clown car