This afternoon, I went for a walk and noticed that a homeowner had recently placed a sign on their front lawn. It simply read “I stand with Israel.” If this had been 400 or so days ago, I would have thought nothing of it. Back then, supporters of Israel were still reeling from the shock of the October 7th attack and felt a need to express themselves.  

The scene at the Paul VI chapel in the Vatican’s St Peter’s Square was quite moving. Pope Francis had come to thank those who had donated the chapel’s Christmas tree and the carved life-sized figures that depicted the birth of Jesus that had been set up at the foot of the tree.

Democrats are still reeling from the shock of losing to Donald Trump for the second time in the past three elections. There’s quite a bit of finger-pointing and soul-searching taking place, with both journalists and activists writing “autopsies” to understand both the reasons for the defeat and what lessons can be learned moving forward.

It’s disturbing how the US news media flits from story to story, seemingly incapable of sustaining attention on events that require it.

This past week, Israeli, Lebanese, and US leaders were busy patting themselves on the back announcing the completion of an Israeli/Lebanese ceasefire agreement.

History will not be kind to the presidency of Joseph Biden when it evaluates his administration’s handling of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. At best, his response will be judged weak and feckless. At worst, he will be seen as enabling of or even complicitous in the crimes committed.  

One century ago, when Western European powers were planning to carve up the Arab East, the US attempted to convince them to take a different path.

My reaction to Donald Trump’s recent victory was very different than the one I had when he was first elected in 2016. Back then, I was deeply upset about how it was that we had elected a narcissistic, misogynistic, xenophobic, inciter of violence. And I was anxious about what his presidency would portend for our future. 

The Middle East conflict and this year’s US presidential election are impacting one another in important ways.