In the year since Hamas launched its deadly surprise terrorist attack, Israel has systematically dismantled much of the organization, along with other Iranian-backed foes in the region. Hamas leadership has been killed or driven underground, and there is no real threat of the terrorist organization launching another Oct. 7 anytime soon. But that cold comfort for a nation still reeling from the deaths of 1,200 people and more than 200 taken hostage in one day is less than what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised.
Israel immediately faced criticism from the world community for its promises to “obliterate” Hamas. It had the protection of some long-standing allies in the United States and United Kingdom, though support for the Jewish state has waned under President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
With few, if any, allies in the East and Western powers growing weary of watching the fighting, Israel is finding itself to be more and more isolated as it tries to protect itself from further attacks. The immediate threat to its people and the future of the state depends on completely destroying Hamas, leaders say.
In the initial days of the war, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant put it bluntly when he said Israel would “wipe Hamas off the face of the Earth.”
Defense Reporter Mike Brest continued the Washington Examiner’s series this morning looking at the last year of conflict in Israel and the reverberating effects it has had on the world. While Israel continues to execute precision strikes and carry out covert operations to chip away at its enemies and bolster its own security, it is trying to convince the world its cause is just and its methods sound.
Israel’s mission has been complicated by fighting on multiple fronts. A day after Hamas launched its surprise attack, Hezbollah began firing rockets into the country from the north. Israel has since evacuated tens of thousands of civilians from the northern part of the country and executed brilliant and efficient operations to dismantle Hezbollah’s operations.
“Israel’s quick decapitation of Hezbollah’s senior leaders, including then-Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, compared to its ongoing efforts against Hamas, proved it had long prepared to fight Hezbollah in the north, whereas it was caught off guard by the Oct. 7 terrorist attack,” Mike wrote.
Despite the speed with which Israel has demolished the upper echelons of both Hamas and Hezbollah, the West is growing tired of watching war rage. Israel has been condemned for the physical damage it has left behind in Gaza despite the Israel Defense Forces’ care to avoid taking unneeded civilian life.
Hamas, which uses human shields and entrenches its command centers inside civilian buildings such as hospitals and schools, has benefitted from the ugly scars left on the surface of the Gaza Strip.
In addition to calls from allies to do more to protect civilian life in Gaza, Israeli leaders have been lumped in with Hamas authorities by international bodies.
“In May, the International Criminal Court announced its intent to seek arrest warrants for Sinwar, Dief, and Haniyeh for the Oct. 7 attack and Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for the alleged starvation of civilians, willfully causing great suffering, willful killing, intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population, and extermination,” Mike wrote.
It’s not clear how much support Israel will continue to receive from the U.S. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both commemorated the vicious terrorist attack on the first anniversary on Monday, though both have distanced themselves from offering full-throated support for the country.
“In the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack, Biden expressed his complete support for Israel and its right to self-defense,” Mike wrote. “But that has eroded over time as Israel has continued its military operations regardless of the U.S.’s primary goal of avoiding a wider conflict.”
Harris has struggled to convince anti-Israel voters to put aside their doubts and cast a ballot for her next month. In response, she has offered a more sympathetic tone when referring to Palestinians, though she hasn’t offered any concrete way her administration would part ways from Biden’s, offering a mountain of doubt for both her skeptics and key allies in Israel.
Click here to read more about the strained global relationships Oct. 7 has put on Israel.
The ‘next George Soros’
John Arnold made millions with Enron before the company’s historic collapse and became the country’s youngest billionaire in 2007 before retiring at 38. The natural gas trader and hedge fund executive decided to take his talents to the world of philanthropy — and it’s terrifying Republicans.
The GOP has no shortage of deep-pocketed philanthropists and generous donors of its own. But House Republicans are going on offense to raise concerns about Arnold, who is being painted as the next George Soros, Congressional Reporter Cami Mondeaux wrote for us this morning.
“Among Republicans’ top criticisms of Arnold is his support for bail reform in New York, as the billionaire has been publicly supportive of replacing the system with an algorithm that can offer recommendations to judges on whether to grant bail,” Cami wrote. “The system predicts failure for one to appear in court for a pretrial and the likelihood of new criminal arrest while on pretrial release based on one’s age and criminal history.”
Bail reform is the latest fight Arnold has decided to pick that is spooking Republicans. But their concerns about the wealthy donor can be traced back to his involvement in fights about censorship and misinformation.
“John Arnold is a far-left radical who funded pro-criminal projects in Indiana and pro-censorship organizations nationwide,” Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) told Cami in a statement. “His board appointment should make every patriotic American nervous about Big Tech interfering in the 2024 presidential election, just like they did last cycle.”
The fights with Arnold are more opaque than criticisms of Soros, who has made enemies with the GOP for years of funding for left-wing causes and, more recently, his bankrolling of soft-on-crime district attorneys often viewed as the primary culprit for the rise in crime in major metro areas.
Arnold, on the other hand, has allied with groups Republicans support, such as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the University of Austin. The billionaire has also spread his money around in a more bipartisan fashion than Soros, donating to Republicans via WinRed and hiring a more diverse group of employees at Arnold Ventures, including figures such as former House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Click here to read more about the next wave of Democratic megadonors.
Brewing storm
Florida is no stranger to dealing with hurricanes, but one storm churning in the Gulf of Mexico is threatening to pound the state and wreak havoc like residents haven’t seen. Partially due to where it is starting, in the warm waters of the gulf and moving east, Hurricane Milton is shaping up to be one of the most powerful storms on record, and its impact on the Florida coast could leave the state with billions of dollars in damages and months of work to recover.
A Category 5 hurricane would be plenty for emergency responders to deal with on its own. Milton is forecast to crash into Florida on Wednesday, days after Hurricane Helene washed through the Southeast, leaving more than 200 dead and billions of dollars in damage in its wake.
Economics Reporter Zach Halaschak is up with a piece this morning looking at just how damaging Milton, on the back of Helene, could wind up being.
“The two storms could make the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season one of the costliest and most disruptive. CoreLogic estimates that Helene caused between $30.5 billion and $47.5 billion in damage to over a dozen states,” Zach wrote. “That is about 10 times the total damage caused last year from all combined tropical storms and hurricanes.”
Added to the fact that Milton’s 150-plus mph winds and torrents of water are a recipe for disaster anywhere, the west coast of Florida isn’t as prepared for a hurricane as other parts of the state that are more accustomed to storm warnings. It’s been more than 100 years since the Tampa area has been battered by a hurricane, Amir Neto, director of the Regional Economic Research Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University, told Zach. That means not only are residents unfamiliar with hurricane response, but the building codes mean structures aren’t necessarily prepared for such an event.
Click here to read more about the waves of damage Hurricane Milton could leave in its wake.
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For your radar
Biden will provide an update on the government’s response to Hurricane Helene and how it is preparing for Hurricane Milton at 10:15 a.m. He will then travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he will speak about his administration’s efforts to replace lead pipes and create good-paying jobs at 1:45 p.m. He will then head to Philadelphia to participate in a campaign event for Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) at 6:45 p.m.
Harris will make several media appearances today. She will appear on The View at 11 a.m., the Howard Stern Show at 1 p.m., and will record her appearance with Stephen Colbert at 6 p.m.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
