President Biden highlighted the distinction between Palestinian citizens and their Hamas leaders on Sunday, saying most Palestinians had “nothing to do” with the October 7 attack on Israel.

“We must not lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had nothing to do with Hamas’s appalling attacks, and are suffering as a result of them,” he wrote.

* * *

Israeli author and professor Yuval Noah Harari hopes that once Hamas is defeated and disarmed, Israelis will reject the populism that has led the country into dysfunction (and Palestinians and the peace process into even greater neglect than before).

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harari writes, built his government on an “alliance of messianic zealots and shameless opportunists,” then staffed up with incompetent loyalists. They’re the ones who ignored repeated warnings about Israeli security.

Harari’s hope for “democracy at home and peace abroad” is that Palestinians will eventually emerge with a stable post-Hamas government that leads to prosperity and security.