The Issue: The Biden administration’s calls for restraint from Israel in response to the Hamas Oct. 7 attack.
The Biden administration’s repeated calls on Israel to show restraint in its necessary self-defense operations against Hamas, including President Biden’s phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are getting to be a problem (“Handcuffing Israel,” Editorial, Oct. 30)
That’s because they are serving to shift the narrative onto what Israel must do, instead of keeping the focus on what Hamas must do.
If Biden wants to protect Palestinians, he must tell Hamas to surrender unconditionally, release all hostages and turn over anyone involved in ordering or carrying out the atrocities of Oct. 7 for war-crimes trials.
Every time the Biden administration publicly calls for Israeli restraint instead of reinforcing Hamas’ obligations, it emboldens the latter and weakens the Israeli war effort.
If the Israelis are sabotaged to the point of losing this war, the next wave of atrocities won’t be restricted to the Middle East.
Daniel H. Trigoboff
Williamsville
Evil, like cancer, doesn’t go away by itself.
Israel now finds itself embroiled in a fifth war in Gaza — started by Hamas — because previous ceasefires were imposed upon the Jewish state before it could destroy the enemy.
The only way that this can be the last war in Gaza is for Israel to eradicate Hamas completely. Calls for restraint and a ceasefire, if implemented, will only ensure a future sixth war in Gaza.
This cycle of violence can only end with the elimination of Hamas. Neither the United States nor the United Nations should dictate the terms of how Israel should conduct this battle if it is to destroy this evil once and for all.
Mel Young
Lawrence
President Biden, our fool in charge, sent a word of caution to Netanyahu about Palestinian civilian casualties.
Israel has already dropped letters telling residents to vacate. Did we bother to do that when we bombed Dresden during World War II and burned it to the ground?
Did we worry about civilian casualties when we dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
When it comes to foreign policy, Netanyahu should disregard anything that comes out of Biden’s mouth.
Walter Faust
Bronxville
Let’s remember that former Defense Secretary and CIA Director Robert Gates said that Biden has been wrong on every foreign policy issue for the last 40 years.
While Biden initially gave very strong support to Israel and a condemnation of Hamas, we are now seeing Biden becoming wishy-washy and inconsistent.
He’s not projecting strength or being forceful about consequences if hostages are not freed, or if Iran continues to attack our forces or allows an expansion. Biden can’t continue to show indecisiveness or weakness.
Harold Fishman
Manhattan
Israel has bent over backward trying to please a naive, misguided, misinformed and weak president. He is led by the failed lackeys of the Obama administration.
They pledge support for Israel, then stab them in the back as they did for the eight years of Barack Obama’s presidency.
No Israeli government will survive if a ceasefire is approved. There should be no more aid until hostages are released. That should be the policy.
This war will continue till every member of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, et al., has surrendered or died.
Let the world make no mistake: The enemy has started its last war. The terrorist control of Gaza ends now and forever.
Samuel Mark
West Hempstead
Biden is nothing more than a cowardly president who appeases his foreign enemies with lots of money — our money.
Biden, who couldn’t defend a nation if his life depended on it, is trying to coax Israel away from retaliation and convince the country to give in to Hamas, so this issue won’t be on the ballot during his re-election.
Ron Zajicek
Cortlandt
Want to weigh in on today’s stories? Send your thoughts (along with your full name and city of residence) to [email protected]. Letters are subject to editing for clarity, length, accuracy, and style.
