What to Expect from an Israeli Offensive in Rafah.
What to Expect from an Israeli Offensive in Rafah.
Plus: How the American Jeremiad Can Restore the American Soul
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WILL SELBER: What to Expect from an Israeli Offensive in Rafah.
THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (IDF) are expected soon—in the next few days or weeks—to attack Rafah, the southernmost major city in the Gaza Strip and the last one the IDF has yet to clear of Hamas. The war in Gaza has been atrocious and costly in time and lives for both sides. The Biden administration has shifted from asking (warning?) Israel not to enter Rafah to quietly counseling Israel on how to do it as humanely as possible.
As the war enters what may be its bloodiest, hardest, and most politically fraught phase, it’s worth analyzing how it reached this point, what’s at stake, and what is likely to happen in the future.
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SAM B. GIRGUS: How the American Jeremiad Can Restore the American Soul
THERE ARE TIMES WHEN AMERICA’S PATH appears well marked, its destiny ordained, and its future secure. These are not such times. When America’s future is in doubt, it has often been because its identity is in doubt. It is tempting to yield to fatalistic pessimism and self-doubt, to indulge in a passive belief that our best days are gone forever. We have been through such times before, and we have a mechanism for reinventing ourselves by rediscovering our creed. This reassurance often comes in the form of the American jeremiad—a call to recommit to the American creed, a warning of disaster if we continue to stray, and a promise of redemption if we can find the strength and faith to save ourselves.
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