On 10/7/2023 demonic terrorists invaded Israel, raped, beheaded, tortured, and kidnapped civilians, and began a war that is arguably the most morally unambiguous since WW II. Universal condemnation would be the the expected outcome. And it was, for 5 minutes. In today’s inverted world, righteousness is subservient to victimhood. And when the defenders are Jews, well, they become the offenders by default.
Hamas had its tunnels, but by far its greatest weapon was world opinion. The groundwork had been carefully laid. By lobbying as victims for decades, most people were convinced of an estwhile Palestinian state that never existed. They were willing to ignore historical ties of the Jews to the land of Israel. It became fashionable to label them a “colonial” power, and depict the Palestinians as beleaguered subjects. The refusal of Egypt and Jordan to grant the perennial refugees a state when they were in charge could be buried in short-term memory and ignorance. The refusal of Arab neighbors to take them in could be dismissed, and used to reinforce their victimhood. By denying all peace accords over decades they cemented their place in history as ultimate victims. It didn’t hurt this cultivated image that Israel was affluent, educated and successful, and a potent military power. So eventually, when the Palestinians were granted the opportunity for self-governance and a potential place in the world community, they opted instead to be led by terrorists. We don’t know what percentage of Palestinians hated Jews in their hearts at this point, only that 20% of the Israeli citizenry was Arab and that it was the only Middle Eastern country in which Jews and Arabs could live peacefully side-by-side, in the sole regional democracy that permitted multi-ethnic participation. But the new leaders, Hamas, had a plan to reinforce the necessary anti-Semitism to support the extermination of the Jews, as mandated in their constitution: indoctrinate small children at a young age and educate them in hate, terror and murder. In the interim take the $ billions donated in international aid for infrastructure and use it to make a formidable arsenal of bombs to harass and maim the Israeli “overlords,” all the while faking governance and eschewing the development of a thriving economy. In such a way they could effectuate perpetual victimhood. Much of the world sympathized and lamented, and some donated. But no one, Arab or otherwise, wanted to take them in, anticipating nothing but trouble.
Trouble came on 10/7/2023, when a complacent Israel, ignoring warning signs, was attacked in a coordinated way they did not imagine was possible. To some it may seem suicidal for a limited power such as Hamas to take on Israel, but the terrorists were fueled by hatred, and knew they had several things in their favor: their extensive tunnels, the stockpile of bombs, the international perception of victimhood, and rampant, world-wide anti-Semitism.
After the 5 minutes of condemnation for Hamas’ invasion and brutality, the terrorists implemented their military and propaganda strategies, the latter arguably the more successful. They knew the hostages were not only bargaining chips, but would slow the advance of the IDF. While Hamas could callously use its citizens as human shields and propaganda tools, each death (reported or real) a contribution to the war effort, they knew Israel would be hampered by moral and public relations concerns. The Israelis’ success in prosecuting the war by dint of superior forces, fire power, and air superiority could be used effectively against them. All Hamas had to do was concoct a “genocide.”
On one level it’s surprising and another no, that the Palestinian death toll figures, released with such uncanny alacrity by the terrorists themselves, would be accepted on face value with limited skepticism. A head nod was made by the world to the fact that Hamas hid behind citizens and under hospitals, but increasingly the alarm was directed toward the escalating numbers of reported civilian deaths (how many “civilians” were “innocent” remains unknown, with a recent poll indicating 70% of Palestinians favor Hamas’ actions on 10/7). Early on we were told of Israel’s unprecedented attempts to minimize civilian collateral damage by dropping leaflets and creating safe passage corridors, despite Hamas’ efforts to hamper this. But as the war progressed in Israel’s favor, all the international attention shifted to civilian casualties, now accepted by many as “the genocide.” Calls for humanitarian aid (stolen by Hamas) and then cease-fire became more strident as Israel came closer to the end-goal of exterminating the terrorist threat. Ironically, all the earnest compassion became directed toward Israel, with not even an equivalent, much less a more forceful, call for Hamas’ surrender and the release of all hostages. The UN Security council passed a non-binding resolution directed at Israel for a cease-fire. The US abstained. President Biden placed increasing pressure on the Israelis not to make the final military push, in the view of many to shore up Islamic votes in Michigan in his failing presidential campaign. Others called for a “proportionate” response, whatever that means (it sounds virtuous, though). Cries for the elusive, repeatedly declined 2-state solution resurfaced, despite the obvious lack of any potential moderate leadership to fill the void.
The world-wide outbreak of overt anti-Semitism internationally and in our own country, especially on our campuses, was a wake-up call for me. I could no longer accept the premise that you could hide behind the term anti-Zionist. Yes, chants of “from the river to the sea” do mean exterminate the Jews. Although I still believe the US is the least anti-Semitic place in the world, it’s clear that both here and abroad the Jewish hate crimes that have been a persistent part of the social landscape are the tip of a much larger iceberg. I don’t believe all Muslims, either here or abroad, hate Jews, but I now believe a much larger proportion are Islamists than have publicly declared. Pro-Palestinian activists are all suspect as either woefully misinformed, morally bereft, or both.
Israel will continue to prosecute the war until it’s done, because it has no other choice. Its coalition government of Netanyahu and his opponents, and the Israeli people, are all on the same page. At this point, slow-walking the final stage is not garnering them favor on the world stage, so a rapid resolution would be welcome. A new Gallup poll reportedly shows a disturbing decline of Israeli support here to less than 50%. There is no bomb more powerful than propaganda.
No one is claiming the Israelis are saints; mistakes will happen, and innocents will die, because war is Hell. But if we lose our way due to moral confusion, Hell is no longer limited to the battle field.
Tags: Anti-Semitism, cease-fire, Gaza, genocide, Hamas, Israel, Israeli war, Palestine, Palestinians, politics
Heartheaded 
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