Mideast watch: Enabling Hamas’ Warmonger
Wall Street Journal reporting on Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s text messages exposed “a cold disregard for human life and made clear he believes Israel has more to lose from the war than Hamas,” thunders Commentary’s Seth Mandel. Sinwar “has personally ordered the escalation of violence each time there appears to be a diplomatic breakthrough.”
Yet after “Israel eliminated Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri,” Sinwar “was on the run and isolated.” But then the West abandoned the goal of the “dismantling and defeat of Hamas.” Today, “everyone except for Israel has recalibrated its approach to the conflict in a way that, directly or indirectly, prioritizes Hamas’s survival.” Incredibly, “Hamas was on the ropes and Sinwar was staring defeat in the eyes,” then the United States “talked itself out of victory.” And so “Sinwar’s war goes on.”
Reporter: ‘Pro-Palestine’ Protesters’ Hate
As she covered a rally in Union Square, “dozens of protesters swarmed me . . . boxing me in to block my view,” observes The Free Press’ Olivia Reingold. “One man fired an air horn into my ears,” and “a girl lurched at my notebook, grabbing it and ripping apart the metal spine.”
Yet “this was very mild. For anyone visibly Jewish who happens to be near one of these mobs, or anyone like a security guard trying to keep peace, the interactions are often much more harrowing.” At these protests, “it’s not unusual to spot the symbols of terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah, and even Nazi swastikas.” “Anti-Israel protesters . . . claim they are for peace. And yet, they find creative ways to justify the violence of Hamas.”
Ukraine desk: Biden’s Drip-Drip Disaster
“The Biden administration’s policy of ‘just enough’ is proving to be insufficient to win in Ukraine,” warn Jonathan Sweet & Mark Toth at The Hill. It “only reductively and reactively addresses critical battlefield requirements when they threaten Ukraine’s survival.” Trying “to avoid escalation, in practice, it is resulting in just that.” Gripped by “an increasingly contagious escalation paralysis,” the Biden administration needs “to get out of Ukraine’s way” and give it “full authorization to attack Russian targets that present a ‘clear and present danger’ to Ukraine’s military and its citizens.” “ ‘Just enough’ is not nearly enough.”
Hoops beat: WNBA Squandering Golden Goose
“WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark is the Tiger Woods of her sport,” declares The Wall Street Journal’s Jason L. Riley. She can make the league a whole lot more profitable, and she’s why this year’s NCAA women’s championship “drew a larger television audience than the men’s final for the first time in history.” “Yet somehow Ms. Clark didn’t earn a spot on the 12-player team that will represent the U.S. at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris.” Hmm: If “the WNBA is desperate to expand its brand,” why “won’t it showcase the sport’s biggest star?” Maybe “WNBA officials are queasy about having a straight white woman become the face of a league dominated by women who are black and gay.” But “fans don’t seem to care.” Perhaps Clark won’t “live up to the hype, but there’s no reason the WNBA shouldn’t be leveraging the hype while it lasts.”
Eye on the economy: Learn From Argentina
“Government overspending, an activity the Biden administration has taken to a new level, has sent the country into an inflationary spiral,” roars Veronique de Rugy at Reason. Shelling out trillions, “the White House has flooded the economy and decimated consumers’ purchasing power.” Yet rather than change course, “the president shifts blame,” falsely claiming inflation was near double digits when he took office. Better to follow the lead of new Argentine President Javier Milei, who’s “imposed fiscal restraint upon the government, shutting down agencies and programs” once deemed sacrosanct. Now “inflation is down, income is up, and the nation is quickly becoming a shining light of economic prosperity.” Milei’s platform “offers a promising path toward economic revitalization” for his country and America.
— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board