2,000 Marines Set for "Potential Deployment" to Israel, U.S. General Says Beating Hamas "More Difficult" Than Afghanistan, Catholic Bishop Offers Himself in Prisoner Swap (The Five for 10/17/23)
Hi, welcome to The Five, a bi-weekly publication about five stories that matter, but may not always make the front page.
If you’re new around here…subscribe via email (it’s free) to make sure you’re able to read The Five consistently…social media algorithms change rapidly, so you never know when you may never see this publication again in your feed, without direct email delivery.
Now, let’s dive into the news.
[one]
The U.S. is inching closer to all-out war in the Middle East.
CNN reports:
A US Marine rapid response force is headed to the waters off the coast of Israel and the Pentagon is preparing American troops for a potential deployment to the country, escalating the US’ show of force in the region as it works to prevent the conflict between Israel and Hamas from widening any further.
Two defense officials familiar with the planning said the rapid response force, consisting of 2,000 Marines and sailors, is being sent. It will join a growing number of US warships and forces converging on Israel as the US seeks to send a message of deterrence to Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
On Sunday evening, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered that roughly 2,000 troops prepare for a potential deployment to Israel to help with tasks like medical and logistical support, multiple defense officials said.
Taken together, the moves are aimed at forestalling a wider regional war, officials said. But they also risk deepening the US’ involvement in a conflict in which the Biden administration is trying to avoid direct military action.
Officials have stressed that the US has no plans to put American boots on the ground to fight in the war between Israel and Hamas, which Israeli officials have warned could be prolonged and difficult.
But the planning and movements offer a window into the kind of assistance the US might provide, including managing logistics away from the front lines and offering medical support. That could be particularly valuable if Israel launches a ground invasion of Gaza, which could be complicated and bloody, experts have warned.
The decisions also come as the US military has been steadily bolstering its presence in Middle East, including deploying a second aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean Sea to join the USS Ford strike carrier group there, and sending Air Force fighter jets to the region.
In the army, every soldier has a job, and most are non-combat jobs. But every Marine’s primary job is rifleman. So…we’re sending the door kickers in for…logistical support? That looks like a fighting force to me.
Unfortunately, we have less tools to deter Iran with than in 2020. Recently, Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State during the George W. Bush Administration, appeared on Bari Weiss’ Honestly Podcast, commenting that it would be “great if we still had military bases” in Afghanistan, which shares a border with Iran, as a deterrent to war.
International outlets are reporting that Hamas is using American weapons abandoned by the U.S. government during the Biden Administration’s hasty pullout.
To call Afghanistan a “war zone” in the final years…was a stretch. The combat deaths are as follows:
2016: 9 KIA
2017:12 KIA
2018: 13 KIA
2019: 17 KIA
2020: 4 KIA
2021: 13 KIA
The U.S. loses more active-duty service members than that to drunk driving and suicide each year than we lost in combat in the final six years in Afghanistan (68 in total). Now, we’re more likely to find ourselves in a full-scale war, because we have no assets on Iran’s eastern flank.
[two]
Israel is in for a tough war, according to be brutally difficult.
Retired Gen. David Petraeus, who commanded America's wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, knows from experience what Israel is facing in its war against Hamas – sending an army, even one as powerful as Israel's, into the densely-populated neighborhoods of Gaza. "This is going to be a very, very tough fight," he told CBS News. "I almost can't imagine a more challenging contextual set of circumstances here than what they face.
"There are tunnels; there will be rooms that will have improvised explosive devices," he said. "You have to clear every building, every floor, every room, every basement, every tunnel. Civilian losses are inevitable, and tough Israeli losses lie ahead as well."
Petraeus, along with British historian Andrew Roberts, has just written a book titled "Conflict," a word which has come to define the century which began on 9/11. Last week's surprise attack by Hamas terrorists is, Petraeus said, "far worse than 9/11."
[three]
The U.S. and Israel have agreed on a deal for Americans to bring aid to Gaza’s citizens…including much needed water.
"Gaza is running dry," UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, said on Monday, as conditions deteriorate ahead of an expected Israeli ground invasion.
Electricity is dangerously scarce: Israel shut off supply to Gaza's main grid five days ago, and as hospitals cope with thousands of wounded people, fuel for generators is running low.
Blinken said the U.S. and Israel share a concern that Hamas may try to seize or destroy any aid entering Gaza.
He issued a warning, "If Hamas, in any way, blocks humanitarian assistance from reaching civilians, including by seizing the aid itself, we'll be the first to condemn it. And we will work to prevent it from happening again."
Wow. I bet the terrorist group who beheaded babies 10 days ago is *REAL SCARED* that the American Secretary of State might [checks notes] send a strongly wordeed email…
[four]
A landlord in suburban Chicago murdered a six year old boy, and severely wounded his mother, both of whom were Palestinian.
Prosecutors said Al-Fayoume was stabbed to death by his mother's landlord.
Joseph Czuba, 71, has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, battery and hate crimes.
In court Monday, prosecutors detailed how Czuba allegedly attacked the mother and child in his unincorporated Plainfield home, where the Palestinian American family rented rooms.
The mother told prosecutors "Czuba was angry at her over what was going on in Jerusalem."
She responded by saying, "let's pray for peace."
That's when she said he attacked her with a knife.
Obviously…this is horrific. But at the risk of offending some by saying the quiet part out loud, the prison system will likely pass down the death sentence that Illinois’ courts probably won’t sign off on.
When a man from my hometown shook a baby and caused permanent brain damage, he “died in prison” within a few weeks of being incarcerated. Even prisoners will not let a man like Joseph Czuba live among their ranks.
[five]
A Catholic Bishop has offered himself up to Hamas, in exchange for child hostages.
The Roman Catholic Church’s top official in the Holy Land expressed his willingness on Monday to exchange himself for the children taken hostage by Hamas terrorists and being held in Gaza as officials around the world work to free those kidnapped amid an imminent Israeli ground assault.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa made the heartfelt, though unofficial, offer in a response to a reporter’s question during an online meeting with Vatican-based journalists.
"If I’m available for an exchange?" Pizzaballa responded. "Anything, if this could bring about the freedom of children, no problem. My absolute willingness."
More than 3,600 people – including 30 Americans – have been killed since Hamas launched its attack against Israel on Oct. 7, leading to military action from Israeli forces. Hamas is also believed to be holding at least 199 people, including children, hostage in Gaza.
The possibility that Hamas might take the Bishop up on this, which would lead to all but certain death, and possibly torture. It’s an incredibly brave move in a sea of chaos and pain.
Until the next one,
-sth