Anyone with any sense of humanity was saddened and outraged at the terrorist attacks in Israel this past month. The anger and even rage is understandable especially to anyone who was personally affected by the savagery.
However, it is during these times of anger that we can make some of the most unethical and damaging decisions. Unfortunately in the U.S., some of the most dangerous responses are coming from our state’s politicians, particularly former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott. Their approach would not only lead to more untold human death and suffering in Gaza, Israel and the Middle East, but they could put the peace of the world order in jeopardy.
Graham, Scott and Haley hold to a similar position to most of their GOP colleagues and many Democrats that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should have almost free rein to do whatever he feels is necessary in Gaza, regardless of the human rights issues or international law.
However, the militaristic responses of these S.C. leaders do not end with Gaza. Recently when Nikki Haley was recently asked by a supporter what Netanyahu should do to Iran, she replied, “finish them.” Similarly in a CNN interview, when Graham was asked whether the U.S. and Israel should “bomb Iran even in the absence of direct evidence of their involvement (with the Hamas terrorist attacks),” Graham responded “yeah.”
Scott’s views seem to have been slightly more measured, but he has made comments that Biden “has blood on his hands” for previously promising to unfreeze some Iranian assets as part of a hostage exchange. He also has been unequivocal that the U.S. foreign policy should have “no daylight with Israel,” which seems particularly dangerous as even the Biden Administration has sought to moderate some of Netanyahu’s policies.
It should not be surprising as Haley and Scott, but especially Graham, appear to have never seen a conflict that they did not want to accelerate. If it were up to Graham, we would be in a direct war not only with Iran but with Syria and Russia– and we would have already invaded Mexico to fight the cartels. But given the completely justified national solidarity with Israel and the repugnance to the horrific acts carried out by Hamas, their voices are much more dangerous and reckless.
The reality is that expanding this war by attacking Iran or allowing Netanyahu to violate international law in Gaza is exactly what Hamas wants as bringing in other nations to the war would help their cause.
Of course, these pro-war voices never consider these types of results. We only need to look to our own history in Afghanistan and Iraq to realize that in the end, “wonderful” results of war never quite materialize. After 20 years in Afghanistan, the Taliban is back in power. After an illegal invasion in Iraq, religious minorities face more persecution. And Iran is more powerful than ever.
Indiscriminate bombing in Gaza and a possible war with Iran may appear to bring Israel temporary security, but in the long run it will put Israelis at much greater risk. The cycle of violence will continue. This should be an obvious reality, but it is lost on people calling for war. These stances will ultimately put us all in danger as it could lead to a broader world war.
It’s sad that the militaristic calls for revenge are understandable but are also completely against the faith that Haley, Scott and Graham claim. The call of Jesus to his followers in the first century Israel in the face of untold oppression and violence from the Roman Empire was to be peacemakers, love their enemies, turn the other cheek. The Apostle Paul told the persecuted church in Rome to not repay evil for evil.
As Americans, we definitely need to call out what Hamas did as evil and barbaric. Any voices praising Hamas should be unequivocally condemned. But our greater danger right now in the U.S. is the militaristic calls from our own politicians that could lead us into unthinkable territory. As an educator and activist here, I can do little to change the thinking of the Palestinian people much less Hamas. However, we all must speak out against the calls for war coming from our elected officials that are putting us all in grave danger.
Summerville resident Will McCorkle teaches educational foundations and social studies education at an area college.
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