I’m a veteran of many protests and marches including a building occupation and summer-long encampment while a student at Kent State University. What we did then and what’s going on now are very different in important ways.
We weren’t perfect by any means, but we were non-violent. We didn’t destroy property and we didn’t foment hate against any group. Very importantly, we knew history and the facts of the issues we were protesting. It’s probably to our advantage that we didn’t have today’s social media where one can glean a world outlook from a few 1-minute videos.
I share the feeling of horror at what’s happening in Gaza. How could one not? But to support, defend and cheer on Hamas is beyond appalling. And these “justice fighters” are unleashing antisemitism on a scale I’ve never seen in my lifetime.
I find it “interesting” that in all this outrage not a word is spoken about October 7th — the largest and most deadly pogrom against Jews since the Holocaust. The slaughter of Jewish babies in their cribs doesn’t seem to bother these protesters.
And do they even know Hamas’ goals? Hamas stands for the extermination of the Jewish people, not only in Israel but worldwide.
From the 1988 Hamas covenant
“The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.”
“With their money, they [the Jews] took control of the world media, news agencies, the press, publishing houses, broadcasting stations, and others.”
From the revised 2017 charter
“The establishment of ‘Israel’ is entirely illegal and contravenes the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.”
“There shall be no recognition of the legitimacy of the Zionist entity. Whatever has befallen the land of Palestine in terms of occupation, settlement, building, judaisation or changes to its features or falsification of facts is illegitimate.”
“Hamas rejects any alternative to the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.”
And then there is the abuse that Palestinians have suffered at the hands of Hamas in Gaza (1, 2). Hamas has oppressed the Palestinian population, suppressed dissent, and like cowards they have embedded themselves in public places making human shields of the Palestinians they claim to defend.
These are the good guys?
All this said, make no mistake. The right-wing Trump-like Netanyahu regime has failed miserably to protect its citizens. It had copies of Hamas’ plans for a year or longer before the October 7th attack. It approved regular funding of Hamas through Qatar and it failed to mobilize for hours when Hamas invaders entered the country. Netanyahu has done everything he can to prevent a two-state solution giving the Palestinians the homeland they need and deserve.
This is not a good situation on any side, but I stand unwavering in my defense of Israel’s right to exist, to defend itself, and by extension to defend Jews everywhere.
What’s happening Gaza can end today. Hamas holds the key. They can surrender and the war will stop immediately.
Title image: عباد ديرانية (Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication).
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