Biden condemns "pure, unadulterated evil" of Hamas

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     October 10, 2023 [We are on the fourth day of a war.]( Over the weekend, Hamas [launched]( an unexpected attack against Israel, resulting in one of the largest death tolls in the history of the country. Israel responded with airstrikes. More than 1,600 people have already [died](, many of them civilians. There has been ample [reporting]( on the horrific violence and death. As was clear even on Saturday, fighting will likely continue for a long time. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has ordered a release of "[all restraints](" as the country launches a counteroffensive. And we are just now coming to understand the full scale of Hamas' initial assault. "It’s something I never saw in my life," an IDF general told the New York Times after visiting the site of an assault in Kfar Azza, an Israeli village near Gaza, "something more like a pogrom from our grandparents’ time." How American politicians respond matters. The United States sends [$3 billion]( in military assistance to Israel every year. Every major Democrat has condemned the attack by Hamas. [President Joe Biden has promised this country "stands with Israel."]( Still, there will be a fight on the left over what that means. And, as Israel begins its war and counteroffensive—with Gallant [promising]( a "complete siege," including attempts to cut off electricity and food to Gaza—politicians on the left will be required to explain how they view such actions. A flashpoint of this so far has been an "All Out for Palestine" rally in Times Square that New York City's Democratic Socialists of America chapter [endorsed]( (but did not organize) that included comments joking about the deaths of Israeli attendees of a rave. On Monday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—a New York Democrat with close ties to the DSA—said the bigotry at the demonstration was "[unacceptable](." But more telling may have been another event, in which two politicians of the same party took divergent paths. On Monday, Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) was [booed]( at a pro-Israel rally after he pushed for a "deescalation of the current violence." Markey had said he stood with Israel; he also condemned the attacks by Hamas. But, as Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) responded moments later, some attendees felt that such calls for restraint missed the point. “Now is not the time for equivocation,” Auchincloss said, according to [MassLive](. “Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist organization…Deescalation is not possible when they are taking hostages. And Israel did not ask America to deescalate on September 12, 2001." As we've reported, those on the right have [blamed]( Biden for the attack by Hamas, without evidence. So far, most Democrats have taken positions close to Auchincloss. As the war continues, will that change? I found interesting an [interview]( with Matt Duss, a former top foreign policy aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), in Politico. "There is no justification for attacking civilians, for slaughtering civilians, for kidnapping elderly people in wheelchairs," he said, noting that is "disgusting." He then continued: "If we believe in human dignity, if we believe in international law, I think we need to condemn that unequivocally. That does not mean we can’t have a deeper conversation about the context of the situation, Israel-Palestine. We have to have that conversation. But I think the way into that conversation has to be very clear about principles of civilian protection and very clear on how disgusting this violence is." —Jacob Rosenberg Advertisement [Hope Credit Union]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Biden Condemns “Pure, Unadulterated Evil” of Hamas’ Attack on Israel]( The president also emphasized the need to adhere to the law of war. 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