Vladimir Putin must appreciate Benjamin Netanyahu. The Gaza war has given Russia three, hopefully unintended, gifts.

• It knocked the ugliness of the  Ukraine invasion off the front page. 
• It established that ruthless brutality against a civilian population, based on religion, is condoned by both Israel and  the U.S. 
• The U.S. ally demonstrated that borders are irrelevant in the pursuit of enemies. All this lends a legitimacy to Putin’s actions in Ukraine and Poland while corroding empathy for Israel. One hopes the timing was not strategic.

Netanyahu’s initial response to attack proved a point. However, the present case calls for Israel to retract its gifts, and employ the olive branch. All violence, including victories, seed a multigenerational shadow of hate. It’s time to change course and shed light.

Ted Samuel
Freeport