'An Incredibly Dangerous Situation': OU Professors On Impact Of Israel, Hamas Conflict

Two professors at the University of Oklahoma have become experts through experience on Israel’s decades of conflict.

The one thing these two professors agree on is that this conflict is just the beginning.

“I covered the Middle East beginning in 1982,” OU Professor Mike Boettcher, a retired war correspondent for ABC, NBC and CNN news, said. “I’ve been in Israel when the sirens have gone off that there’s an incoming rocket or missile coming."

Professor Alan Levenson has similar experience.

“Rocket fire? Nothing new,” said Levenson. “I’ve been in Israel when rockets were fired, myself.”

Professors Levenson and Boettcher are now watching the conflict unfold from afar. 

“This is a country that feels like it’s always under siege,” Boettcher said.

Levenson emphasizes how extreme this situation really is.

“But this is something that I would say really is exponentially different,” Levenson said.

Their experiences with the country are different, but their conclusion is the same.

“This is a conflict that could explode and if it becomes a regional war, the United States could be drawn into this,” Boettcher said.

Levenson says his family members are already being called up for service.

“Considering this only started Saturday, this is alarmingly quick,” Levenson said. “I’ve already heard of two people I know that have been killed.”

The situation in Israel continues to escalate, unlike anything Boettcher has seen before.

“What’s going on now is the most dangerous situation I’ve seen in the Middle East in the last half-century,” Boettcher said. “The problem is, Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on earth [...] It’s like a war being fought in New York City on Manhattan Island. That’s how big it is.”

Boettcher says what unfolds going forward could be even more volatile.

“This is an incredibly dangerous situation,” Boettcher said. “The U.S. could be drawn in.”

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On Oct. 7, 2023, the Islamic Resistance Movement, the terror group also known as Hamas, launched a surprise attack on Israel by means of land, air and sea. Hundreds of civilians have been killed as the Israel Defense Forces, or the IDF, attempt to dislodge Hamas combatants.

What is Hamas?

Hamas was founded in 1987, although its origins extend far beyond that. The group is distinct from the Palestine Liberation Organization, another wing of the legislative body that governs Palestine. In 2006, Hamas won the Palestinian legislative election, and has remained in power since.

Canada, the European Union, Israel, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States all consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization, while some countries, such as New Zealand and Paraguay, view only the groups's military wing as such.

Hamas is known to be highly antisemetic, both towards individual Jews and the greater state of Israel.

Where is Gaza?

Gaza, also known as the Gaza Strip, is a Palestinian enclave, meaning it is separated from the rest of the country, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

Sunni Muslims make up the majority of the population of Gaza, although there is a small Christian minority.

Despite being a part of Palestine, Israel has control over much of the Gaza Strip, controlling the areas airspace, seaports and six of the strip's seven land access routes. This control has often deemed Gaza as an "open-air prison."

Has Conflict Erupted In Gaza Before?

In June, 1967, Israeli forces captured the Gaza Strip from Egyptian Forces towards the end of the Six-Day War. The war saw the invasion from, and later expulsion of, the combined forces of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait from Israeli territory.

On Dec. 27, 2008, following the breakdown of a temporary truce between Israel and Palestine, Israeli fighter jets bombed several locations in Gaza, marking the beginning of the Gaza War. The targets bombed ranged from police stations, schools, hospitals, UN warehouses, and mosques to various other structures. Israel claimed those buildings were being used to house weapons.

Israel said the bombings were a response to Hamas rocket attacks on southern Israel, and on Jan. 3, 2009, a ground invasion of the territory by the IDF began.

Between 1,100 and 1,400 Palestinians, and 13 Israelis were killed before the Gaza War came to an end on Jan. 18, 2009.