In a minute there is time/ For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse – T.S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
Connecticut’s U.S Senator Chris Murphy’s unprincipled references
to Israel and Gaza over the years are a meandering mess of warmed over
platitudes.
The following media citations and stories trace the drift of
the platitudes.
On October 7, 2023, Murphy issued a Statement on Hamas Attacks on Israel: ““The shocking attacks on Israeli
civilians by Hamas terrorists on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War are
unconscionable. The U.S. stands firmly with the Israeli people and supports the
government of Israel’s right to defend itself from this horrific violence. Many
innocent people on both sides will suffer as a result of Hamas’s orchestrated
attacks, which will only cause more chaos and misery. My every thought is with
the grieving families and the wounded, and I am continuing to closely monitor
developments on the ground.”
On October 30, Murphy [cautioned] Israel to show restraint
in Gaza, citing lessons of Afghanistan: “The U.S. government is staunchly pro-Israel,” his Connecticut
Public Radio host pointed out in a broadcast of “All Things Considered. How
then did Murphy see “his role to represent constituents the varied opinions?”
Asked by John Henry Smith of Connecticut Public Radio, “How
do you and your colleagues walk that fine line [between] a staunchly
pro-Israel” American foreign policy that supports “the government of Israel’s
right to defend itself from this horrific violence” and Gazans ravaged by war?
“With your support of Israel, how do you strike the balance of supporting them
while at the same time trying to keep things from escalating [more broadly]?”
Murphy responded: “One, we want to support the more moderate
Palestinian leadership. So this is a time to get funding into the West Bank to
try to stabilize the West Bank to make sure that it doesn't explode. Second, we
want to send a deterrent message to Iran and that's why you've seen these
carrier battle groups move into the region. Third, we just want to engage in
good old fashioned diplomacy. So, you've seen [U.S. Secretary of State Antony]
Blinken essentially be in the region non-stop. I have been on the phone with my
colleagues in the Middle East, whether it be the Jordanians or the Qataris,
trying to send messages about how we can de-escalate in Lebanon … in the West Bank.
So, it's an all-above strategy to try to make sure that this conflict stays
limited to the conflict in Gaza.”
Events unfolded quite differently. Under the leadership of
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the war against an assortment of
terrorists – Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen, all
of them supported and encouraged by Iran – was broadened until the forces set
upon the destruction of Israel were militarily degraded. Iran’s nuclear war
capability was set back by a precision bombing raid; Hamas was all but
destroyed; Syria strongman, the impregnable Bashir Assad, fled his country and
sought refuge in Russia; and President Donald Trump methodically persuaded
other Islamic nations, most importantly Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to agree to
underwrite a peace plan that just might give peace a chance in Israel and Gaza.
In November 2024, CTInsider told us, “U.S. Sen. Chris
Murphy joined 18 other Senate Democrats on Wednesday in voting to block further
sales of American weapons to Israel, citing the mounting number of civilian
casualties and questions over the remaining objectives of Israel’s leaders.
Three resolutions — each led by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — disapproving of
arms sales were rejected by the Senate in a series of evening votes, with the
majority of Democrats joining Republicans in opposition.”
Asked what he would do if the United States and other
friendly nations were to withdraw military assistance from Israel, Netanyahu
responded that Israel would fight its sworn enemies “with our fingernails.”
At long last, having failed to snatch defeat from the jaws
of victory, “U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released a statement regarding the newly
announced ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, expressing relief that
hostages will be returned and that fighting has ceased. Murphy emphasized the
need for a permanent peace and acknowledged the complex issues ahead, including
governance of Gaza and security arrangements. He stated, ‘This moment is an important
milestone,’ urging all parties to fully implement the ceasefire and work toward
a lasting solution that lays the groundwork for a two-state approach and
regional normalization.” How does one arrive at a “two-state approach” when one
of the “states” is not a state at all but rather a province of Israel, Gaza,
housing terrorists supported by Iran pledged to destroy the state of Israel?
The above official statement from Murphy’s well trained
staff is a prime example of what has been called “damning through faint
praise.” In both Israel and Gaza, the exchange of prisoners and the cessation
of hostilities, however temporary, have been greeted with immense joy,
closed-mouthed Democrat sourpusses in the United State such as Murphy
notwithstanding. And among U.S. media hostiles, credit where credit is due has
been grudgingly allowed. Even former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton threw a
bouquet in Trump’s direction.
One supposes that U.S. Senators Dick Blumenthal of
Connecticut and Chuck Schumer of New York, both Jews, would allow themselves a
moment of bipartisan elation; for Trump’s effective foreign policy in the
Middle East was anchored firmly in the policy of Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, whose response to terrorist attacks some, this writer
included, have compared favorably with Winston Churchill’s exertions during and
after what Victor Davis Hanson has called the Second World Wars. The reader
will note the plural—“wars.” World War II could not have been won by the United
alone. So, too, with the wars – note the plural – in the Middle East. The back
of the undeclared Iran-Hamas-Hezbollah- Houthis terrorist coalition was broken
finally by a new coalition of the willing brought together by Trump. This new
coalition was a masterstroke of diplomacy, made possible by Netanyahu’s well
plotted military assault on the enemies of Israel.
There is time still for Murphy to bathe himself in the
cleansing waters of deliverance. His
current term ends on January 3, 2031, plenty of time for “visions and
revisions.”
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