The title of this commentary, a twist on the title of Erich Maria Remarque’s famous 1929 novel about everyday life in the trenches of World War I, seems fitting for the first anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
While the media covers each new and surprising development — the killing of Hamas’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah; Israel’s attacks in southern Lebanon; Iran’s ballistic-missile strikes on Israel — the fact is that things are becoming what they always were. Potentialities that were present from the beginning are being realized.
From a broader historical and philosophical perspective, Israel’s critics miss the point when they claim that it is failing in its mission to destroy Hamas and is merely killing Palestinians and razing Gaza. Recall Israel’s strategy before Oct. 7. For years, it ensured that foreign financing reached Hamas in order to keep the Palestinians divided, thus preventing any progress toward a two-state solution.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.