Today the Washington Post helpfully published an article titled “What is Hamas, and why did it attack Israel now?” Okay, Washington Post, you have my attention. Here’s what the author wrote under the heading “What is Hamas?”

Hamas, or the Islamic Resistance Movement, is a militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, a 25-mile-long, densely populated enclave of more than 2.1 million people. Hamas emerged as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood during the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in 1987 against the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. It was founded by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a Palestinian cleric. Its military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, was established around 1991.

It is committed to armed resistance against Israel and aims for the creation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, along the borders before the Six-Day War in June 1967, during which Israel captured and occupied the West Bank, Gaza, the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced as a result.

So there you have it. Hamas just wants a Palestinian state so they can live peacefully alongside Israel.

Oops! Wait a minute. There seems to have been a mistake here. The article has now been corrected to note that Hamas does not recognize the existence of Israel at all and wants to seize all of the territory held by the Jews “from the river to the sea.” Here’s how the correction reads. [emphasis added]

An earlier version of this article incorrectly described Hamas’s aim as the creation of a Palestinian state along the borders that existed before the 1967 war. Hamas does not recognize the existence of Israel and is committed to replacing it through armed struggle with a Palestinian state stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River.

What is Hamas? It’s a terrorist group bent on military domination and the eradication of Israel. That sort of puts a different spin on things, doesn’t it. Sort of hard to suggest the answer to this problem is a Palestinian state when Hamas doesn’t want a Palestinian state unless it includes all of Israel. Not much room for a negotiated peace or a diplomatic solution if that’s the stated goal.

Instead of continuing unconditional weapons sales and military aid to Israel, I urge the United States at long last to use its diplomatic might to push for peace.

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 9, 2023

There’s not going to be any peace with Gaza so long as Hamas exists and is in control. The terrorists need to be found and killed and that means the clock is already ticking on support for Israel.

After years in which support for Israel had turned into an increasingly partisan issue in Washington, Democratic and Republican leaders in recent days have generally responded with broad condemnation of Hamas and expressions of solidarity following the slaughter of hundreds of Israeli civilians.

But that surface unity had already begun to fray around the edges by Monday as Israel retaliated with punishing airstrikes on Gaza, cut off food and water to the enclave and prepared for what may become a ground invasion that could further endanger Palestinian civilians. Some on the left wing of the Democratic Party were criticizing Israel for “apartheid” policies oppressing Palestinians and calling for an end to U.S. aid.

For the moment, such sentiments have been restricted to the fringes of the House Democratic caucus and have drawn swift rebukes from more centrist members of the party. The reality, however, is that the sympathy and support for Israel will be tested the longer the fighting continues and the more firepower that Israeli forces employ, according to lawmakers and political strategists…

Republicans have made support for Israel an inviolable litmus test issue. While in office, President Donald J. Trump tilted strongly toward Mr. Netanyahu’s government, recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and the Golan Heights as Israeli territory while cutting aid to Palestinians and forcing their office to close in Washington. Democrats, for their part, have grown more split, with some still solidly backing Israel while others have been more critical of settlements, occupation and plans to annex territory.

In short, the Squad, the DSA and leftists at many top colleges are already blaming Israel for the terrorism by Hamas. There’s a much larger part of the Democratic party which is wobbly. They may not be saying much now but as the death toll grows and images of the Israeli response are spread, they will. Israel has said it expects a prolonged war. My guess is they have a week or two at most before Democrats start seeing them as the problem and trying to openly undermine the Biden administration’s support for Israel, which has been somewhat shaky from the start.