Divided we fall: Violent partisanship and the threat to national security 

Earlier this month, many paused to reflect upon the atrocities related to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, wherein about 1,200 people were killed and more than 240 were taken hostage. One side calls Hamas a terrorist organization; the other accuses Israel of genocide for its response to this attack. Regardless of which side you are on, it cannot be denied that innocent men, women and children have been killed in both Israel and Gaza. 

Leaving the never-ending and increasingly acrimonious debate aside, I believe it is critically important to the national and economic security of the U.S. that we examine the months leading up to the attacks, giving us a window into an ever-evolving threat.   

Prior to Oct. 7, 2023, I reached out to a number of contacts in the political and military space with one basic question: “Do you fear that the increasing partisan, political protests taking place on the streets of Israel are serving as an all-consuming distraction which is causing the powers that be to take their eyes off the national security ball?”

As outlined by the London School of Economics and Political Science, “For nine months before the October 7 terrorist attack, Israelis took to the streets in their masses, with between 60,000 to 400,000 protesting weekly against the Netanyahu government’s judicial overhaul.” Though many of the massive protests were nonviolent, the police response was strong, involving stun grenades, water cannons and........

© The Hill