[22 May 2025] The killing of two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington, DC —a shocking act of violence carried out at the heart of the American capital— marks a sobering turning point in the Israel-Hamas war. This was not a remote tragedy or a foreign skirmish —it was an international flashpoint arriving, unmistakably, on American soil. The notion that this war can be contained within Gaza’s borders has always been a dangerous illusion. Now, it is a plainly unsustainable one.
The attack, reportedly accompanied by cries of “Free Palestine,” will no doubt be interpreted differently by opposing camps. Some will blame rising antisemitism; others will point to the radicalization fueled by mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, where more than 53,000 people —combatants and civilians alike— have been killed in the Israeli campaign. Both interpretations contain painful truths. But the larger reality is this: the longer this war continues, the more it metastasizes across borders, ignites passions, and pulls in new actors who were not initially party to the conflict. The world is running out of time to bring this war to an end.
For too long, both the Israeli government and regional powers in the Arab world have held to the fantasy that this war could be militarily resolved. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stated goal of total military victory and indefinite Israeli control over Gaza is not a strategy —it is a prescription for endless bloodshed, radicalization, and international peril. Likewise, some Arab states have passively watched the war burn from the sidelines, unwilling or unable to exert meaningful pressure on Hamas to deescalate or negotiate.
Both sides must be disabused of the delusion that time is on their side. The war is already destabilizing Jordan and Lebanon, fueling extremist recruitment in Europe, and now sowing terror in the United States. If this moment does not jolt all parties —Israelis, Palestinians, Arabs, and Americans— into rethinking the costs of continued warfare, then what will?
This tragedy should also serve as a wake-up call for the United States government, which has retreated into a dangerous diplomatic isolationism at precisely the moment when bold leadership is needed most. Washington cannot afford to act as if this war is someone else’s problem, a distant and unfortunate consequence of foreign miscalculation. It has now reached the American capital with deadly consequences.
The Biden administration failed to marshal the full weight of American diplomacy to bring the parties to the table. Under the Trump administration, while the US has maintained its traditional support for Israel’s right to self-defense, it has hesitated to impose the kind of red lines, timelines, or peace proposals that might compel both sides toward a durable solution. Its reluctance to lead —and, at times, its unwillingness to criticize excesses— has made a difficult situation worse.
This war will not end with the fall of Hamas alone, nor will it end with indefinite Israeli occupation or regional indifference. It will end only when all parties, with the active engagement of the international community, commit to a political process aimed at securing both Israeli safety and Palestinian dignity. The shooting in Washington must be seen as what it is: a flashing red warning that the war’s contagion is spreading. For the sake of global security —and to stem the tide of radicalism, reprisals, and diplomatic chaos— it is time to end this war, not prolong it. That requires courage from regional leaders, realism from Israel, responsibility from Hamas, and above all, renewed leadership from the United States. [EIA]