An Analogy to the Gaza War from Ancient Rome 

Image: coin bearing the likeness of Publius Quinctilius Varus

Here is my latest letter to President Biden on Gaza, posted on March 11, 2024, just before noon in Albany, New York, USA:

Dear Mr. President,

The recent exchange of public comments between you and P.M. Netanyahu creates an opportunity. I can explain by analyzing the Gospels from a non-Christian perspective, with Jesus as a talented man.

In early spring of the third year of his ministry, Jesus had many followers. He found himself unable to feed them and cursed a fig tree. He led his followers into the temple. Some of the followers may have been armed, and some may have believed they could never die. Jesus committed a robbery by separating the money changers from the money they tended and sat around waiting.

One can reasonably infer that Jesus expected Pilate to send soldiers to restore order and hoped to draw in adversaries of Rome on his side. This didn't happen, and Jesus retreated. He told the disciples that, according to prophecy, they would abandon him. This was an order to abandon him that enabled the disciples to save face. What disciple, apart from the rock, Peter, would defy prophecy? Jesus submitted to arrest by the religious authorities in Gethsemane and reproached Peter for resisting.

The wise and canny Pilate received the signal that Jesus had decided to play ball. Pilate gave Jesus the opportunity to crack wise with him the way Jesus had done earlier with the religious authorities. Jesus essentially stood mute, setting up one of the most hilariously transparent lies in history, Pilate’s line, “I find no fault in this man.”

Jesus is humiliated publicly. Pilate gives the crowds the choice between Jesus and Barabbas. Note that the nature of Barabbas communicates the idea that the crowd can fight another day if its members live. The crowd chooses Barabbas, and only Jesus dies. A bloodbath and possible wider war are averted.

Because of the space limitation, I’ll connect this analogy to the Gaza war in a LinkedIn post at https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-lyons-walsh-92409b56/. Thank you, Mr. President, for your time and your work.

[The following was added to the original message.]

With apologies, Mr. President, you are Tiberius in this analogy. In contrast to the honorable behavior of Jesus and the wise behavior of Pilate, the actions of the principals in the Gaza War have created an extremely dangerous situation for you.

It is as if Jesus had directed his followers to slaughter the money changers and worshipers before carrying off hostages and hiding in the poor section of Jerusalem. Your version of Pilate, P.M. Netanyahu, has sent in the troops while depleting the ballista bolts of half the empire in an attempt to, God help us, exterminate rebellious poor people.

Wise people understand that attempting to exterminate an enemy promotes one’s own eventual ruin. One can invoke the story of the Lernaean hydra to explain this. I’m also reminded of the words of the Kintango on the opening night of the 1977 television miniseries Roots: “The goal of war is not to kill. The goal of war is to win… It is impossible to kill an enemy. You may end a man’s life, but his son is now your new enemy.” Extermination of an enemy army is bad strategy.

As Tiberius—again, I apologize—you sit as if presented with the ancient equivalent of a headstrong Sloan School graduate and Boston Consulting alumnus with additional proof against intellectual flexibility supplied by religious faith and ongoing legal troubles. I’m thinking of your version of Pilate, P.M. Netanyahu, as someone like Quinctilius Varus. Please recall the mischief done to Augustus by that general’s vindictive leadership against the Germans.

The lean and hungry Parthians notice that your ammunition is being depleted and that your client monarchs are becoming restive as they witness the brutality of your governor.  You wish you could cut Palestine loose from your empire, but it guards one flank of your granary, Egypt. Over the weekend, you publicly drew a red line, and Varus grabbed his crotch, saying, “I’ve got your red line right here, Caesar.” What, oh what, do you do?

Frankly, I’m not privy to all the information you are, Mr. President, so I’ll leave the answer to you. One option is to cut off the ammunition supply while threatening diplomatic or economic consequences if a ceasefire is not forthcoming today or tomorrow, the cessation in the onslaught to be accompanied by a vast upturn in truck flow through the land crossings.

The only winning strategy is for Israel is to give Hamas repeated chances to catch its breath and lay down its arms. No matter how sure of his opinions P.M. Netanyahu may be, there is no other path to victory. I note that World War I ended due to a mutiny in the German navy that might not have occurred if the vindictiveness of the British and French had been anticipated. Victory is achieved by showing the olive branch in one hand and weapons in the other, as on the Great Seal of the United States. If you explain this clearly, Mr. President, even someone educated at M.I.T. might be persuaded, and if not, political mutinies happen, just as military ones do.

Good luck, Mr. President, and thank you again for your time.

[The preceding was added to the original message.]

Best wishes,
James