Staff Reports
According to reports, the American embassy in Beirut was attacked on Wednesday. This happened at a time when the Middle East was very unstable because hundreds of Palestinians had died in a hospital in Gaza. Although President Biden was in neighbouring Israel to show his unwavering support for the country in its ongoing battle with Hamas, the US warned its citizens not to travel to Lebanon as tensions rose.
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Americans warned ‘do not travel’ to Lebanon as part of Beirut embassy set on fire https://t.co/NuAdejf3My
— Alan W. Silberberg ? (@IdeaGov) October 19, 2023
Hamas militants broke through the border into Gaza earlier this month and killed over 1,400 innocent Israelis and took many others hostage in a shocking act of violence. Israel responded by using force to protect its people. As a result, hundreds of people were killed, including some at a hospital in Gaza. Presidential candidate Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have both blamed Hamas and its friends for this terrible event. Nevertheless, these events have stoked up tensions in the Arab world and raised fears of a larger war.
Demonstrators and the Lebanese troops fought in the streets of Beirut near the U.S. embassy. By throwing Molotov cocktails, the protesters set fire to the embassy and did a lot of harm. Their actions caused even more trouble by blocking major roads near Beirut. As a result of these events, the State Department has warned Americans to stay away from Lebanon because of safety concerns.
As the tensions in the Middle East have spread to other parts of the Arab world, similar riots have happened against symbols of American and Western power. Although Iran backs Hezbollah, a terrorist group that operates in Lebanon, they called for a "unprecedented day of anger" right before President Biden's trip to Israel. This caused a meeting between Biden and Arab leaders in Jordan to be cancelled. Additionally, the unrest has spread to other parts of the Western world, with pro-Palestine protests starting in the United States. Recently, Islamists attacked France and Belgium, which has made people even more afraid of jihadism and anti-Semitic terrorism.
Unfortunately, the growing conflict has also shown that many on the American left support Hamas. Some people and groups praise the terrorists as "freedom fighters" fighting what they see as "apartheid." Not recognizing that Hamas has been labelled a terrorist group by many countries, including the United States, this point of view is wrong and harmful. Fighting and condemning all kinds of terrorism is more important than praising and explaining them.
The Middle East issue is basically very complicated and dangerous. Today's attack on the American embassy in Beirut and the rising protests in the area and around the world make it clear that we need to handle this crisis with calm and determination. The US needs to help its friends in the area, like Israel, fight terrorism while also pushing for peace, stability, and a peaceful end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
