Opinion: US likely to shift away from Ukraine

I am constantly reminded that most Americans have little interest in what goes on outside their own borders. As a matter of fact, during the football season, most Americans have little interest in what goes on off the gridiron, college or professional.

In spite of all that is going on in Ukraine, the citizenry has pretty much given it the ho-hum treatment. After last weekend, all that is about to change.

The Hamas attack on Israel put an end to U.S. indifference, probably because Israel is our oldest -- and in many cases our only -- ally in the Middle East.

On the other hand, if you’re not at least 60 years old, you have very little memory of the past Israeli-Arab wars, so it’s difficult to put what is going on now into any kind of perspective.

I’m not going to go into detailed history in this opinion piece. That would require many volumes of printed material and more knowledge than this writer possesses.

The Hamas attack, in its viciousness and brutality with the killing of women and children, is a war crime, and was apparently designed to affect an immediate and over-the-top response from Israel. Hamas has succeeded in this. Israel has unleashed an all-out attack on Gaza that will result in the death of many harmless civilians.

The above are facts.

There has been an immediate and vocal response to this raid from people who should know better, not to stop the killing, but rather to pronounce blame for the assault on either Iran or Russia. These accusations are being cast about with no evidence other than the opponent’s opinion.

Rather than demanding a strike on Iran, a coalition of countries should be forming to negotiate a cease fire as soon as possible. I doubt this will happen. It didn’t happen in Ukraine and there is currently a dearth of leadership in what purposes to be the enlightened world.

There is one more point to consider. Pro war neo-cons have in the past believed that America could easily engage in a two-front confrontation with Russia and China. They are wrong.

We now have a two-front entanglement with Ukraine-Russia and Hamas-Israel. Ukraine should be concerned; the Biden administration has found its off-ramp.

“Whatever it takes” and “as long as it takes” have ended. The U.S. will support Israel.

Rube Render is a former Clovis city commissioner and former chair of the Curry County Republican Party. Contact him:

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