Dear John,

As we reach the end of the first month in the current fighting between Israel and Hamas, I wanted to share some thoughts on the conflict, which started with the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

The coordinated terrorist attack on October 7 has since turned into a full-scale war within a densely populated area. More than 10,000 Palestinians have died, including more than 4,000 children, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry. More than 200 Israeli and foreign hostages are being held by Hamas, which continues to shell Israel with rockets.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most intractable political problems in the world, and its corrosive effects have helped to perpetuate oppression and authoritarian rule across the Middle East, which remains the least free region covered by our annual Freedom in the World report. Resolving it will require a shared recognition that all people deserve to live in freedom, and that over the long term only a sustained investment in democracy—a governance system designed to protect human rights and reconcile competing interests—can ultimately deliver peace.

Neither Israelis nor Palestinians will reap the benefits of peace without strong, unwavering democratic leadership that is committed to respecting the rights and dignity of all people.